Matiari villages worry if bund will hold

The T-Spur was constructed at the Bhanote Bund to create a 90-degree artificial diversion in the course of River Indus

HYDERABAD: The T-Spur, constructed at the Bhanote Bund in Matiari to create a 90-degree artificial diversion in the course of River Indus, has been working successfully. Distraught villagers living in its proximity are, however, not sure it will be able to hold.

During a visit to the Bhanote Bund, 70 kilometres from here, on Saturday the villagers told APP that more than 70 per cent of 15,000 people, have evacuated out of fear of being submerged.

On Saturday, over 300,000 cusecs of floodwater was passing through the embankment, which is the foremost line of defence to prevent the inundation of Matiari district that has a population of about 850,000. The bund has a T-shaped spur called the ‘T-Spur’, which diverts the course of the River Indus, and it is supported by three smaller studs built at one furlong’s distance of each other.

The T-Spur is 1,250 feet long and 80 feet high. A local landlord revealed to APP that against all claims made by the irrigation authorities, the villagers of Bhanote had been volunteering to carry out bund fortification work. He expressed fears that the floodwater would immerse the area and the bund would not stand the might of the super flood, on its way to the Arabian Sea.

“Booming agricultural growth in our area will be relegated to oblivion,” he remarked.

On the other hand, apart from the deployment of army soldiers, no irrigation official was available to comment on the sturdiness of the bund. This was the case despite the fact that the executive engineer Babar Affendi had told APP that four SDOs had been assigned to monitor the bund. He had said at least one of them would be available any time of day or night.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2010.