Weak river dykes spark flood fears

Much as the provincial government is trying to soothe the worries of the people in Sindh regarding the approaching super flood, the public perceived weaknesses in the Indus river's dykes continues to remain a cause of great distress.

The people living near K K bund in Kashmore-Kandhkot on Monday pointed out to the authorities the sand erosion has already started to occur at the levee, which is currently dealing with a low flood while the super flood is yet to visit the site. "A number of big and small holes in the sand made river fence are appearing but the measures to reinforce the dyke so far seem lacking," complained a local resident.

Hundreds of people gathered at the bank on Monday where the stone pitching exercise was also underway. In Ghotki district, where six river bunds have been declared vulnerable including Shaink bund, local residents believed the bund will even cave in to a pressure of up to 700,000 cusecs, affecting Qadirpur, Ghotki, Obauro and Panu Aqil in the wake.

They alleged that officials deployed at the health and relief camps at a location of Shaink bund left the camps soon after the CM's visit on Sunday night. Meanwhile, hundreds of more riverine villages continued to go under water in the districts of Sukkur, Larkana, Nawabshah and Hyderabad divisions, as thousands of people evacuated themselves to the safe land.

Vulnerable levees

The Sindh Secretary Irrigation Zareef Iqbal Khehro said in addition to the six vulnerable dykes in Ghotki district, several other bunds in Larkana, Khairpur and other districts have also been declared sensitive. He underlined the need of providing security to the thousands of irrigation staff and volunteers who have been deployed the river embankments in the districts of Sukkur and Larkana divisions to monitor flood pressure on the bunds.

Commissioner Sukkur division Abid Saleem said, "if a million cusecs flood reached Sindh, 360,000 people and more than 500,000 livestock animals living in 753 villages in Sukkur, Ghotki and Khairpur districts of Sukkur division will be affected. He apprised that 155 school buildings and government offices have been shortlisted for relief camps while a corresponding number of medical and veterinary camps will also be set up. According to him, a team of Pakistan Navy with 40 officials has arrived in Sukkur.

Separately, in Larkana district, the Education Officer Haneefur Rehman informed that more than a thousand schools and govt buildings have been declared as relief camps. The district is located on the river's right bank and its Naudero, Nusrat, Moria, Aqil Aghani, Abad and Moen Jo Daro levees are among those declared sensitive. The Chief Minister's Special Assistant Makhdoom Fakhruz Zaman told that 5,800 people and 24,500 livestock animals have so far been evacuated from the riverbed villages in Matiari district.