‘Next wave of floods will be manageable’
Responding to reports in the foreign media, he said that although another flood would reach Sukkur in the next 24 hours, it would be manageable. “We are monitoring the gauges,” he said. “There is no truth in the story.”
According to the minister, there is no need to panic because the authorities were aware of the level of threat at the barrage. Meanwhile, talking to Express 24/7, Dharejo warned the residents of Jacobabad to leave the city.
Protecting Shikarpur
In other new, the administration has cut the Sindh-Balochistan railway track in order to protect Shikarpur city and other important installations from the flood water.
According to the local administration, the railway line has been cut to protect the Lodha power station and Sui gas grid station as well. MPA Nisar Panhore has said the attempts to protect Shikarpur have proven successful. Meanwhile, the floodwater is said to be moving towards Garhi Yaseen, Garhi Khuda Bux and Larkana.
This comes as water has entered the the Shahbaz Airbase and the Pakistani and US troops stationed there have been shifted to a safer location.
Floodwater has entered Jacobabad city despite all efforts to alter the water’s course. The telephone exchange in Jacobabad has been inundated, breaking the city’s communication link with the rest of the country. Saturday night, a breach was made in a canal near Baqa Pur in a bid to divert water away from the city but it did not help. A second botched attempt included creating a breach in the Indus highway to turn water towards Balochistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 16th, 2010.
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