According to reports, 95 per cent of the total population of 150,000 has fled Garhi Khairo town fearing floods. However, thousands are still stranded and have taken shelter on the rooftops of their houses. Reports added the town is now sinking under six to eight feet of high water.
On Thursday morning, the army reportedly began an evacuation operation through boats which could take two to three days.
On the other hand, the water level at Guddu and Sukkur barrages is receding and by Thursday evening, gauges had recorded a considerable decline in water levels in both barrages. The upstream at Guddu barrage was 9,65,028 cusecs and the downstream was 9,63,488 cusecs, while at the Sukkur barrage the upstream was 10,01,400 cusecs and downstream 9,65,100 cusecs. According to irrigation officials, water levels at both barrages will be constantly receding.
In Balochistan, flash floods engulfed Ghandaka Tehsil of Jaffarabad inundating around 4,000 houses and rendering 70,000 people homeless, while around 475 people are still marooned in different villages.
Former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali told reporters that there were 23 deaths in recent floods in Jaffarabad, although official sources kept the exact figures under wraps.
Jamali claimed that influential people had broken the Tauri Bund diverting the River Indus flood from its natural course towards Balochistan and creating havoc in the whole region.
According to reports, major breaches in Kirthar Canal, Begari Canal and Saifullah Magsi Canal caused havoc in Ghandaka. More than 475 people took shelter on the rooftops of their houses in different villages, and rescue operations are yet to start.
“People from each family stayed because of increasing incidents of robberies,” a resident of Ghandaka said, who along with many others is still marooned without any relief or rescue operation.
A flood warning was issued for Usta Mohammad city owing to anticipation of flash floods that are around 40 kilometres away. Local people are trying to divert the flood towards Sindh. However, water has encircled the city from three directions while the surrounding areas have already been inundated.
“Government officials say the rescue operation in Gandhaka and Usta Mohammad will start today,” local leader of National Party, Qalandar Raza Jamali, told The Express Tribune.
Meanwhile, a wide breach in Tauri embankment along the River Indus and at three points in Begari Canal has caused floods of 80,000 cusecs in Jaffarabad, inundating it by 10 to 12 feet.
Meanwhile, as predicted by the meteorological department, flood torrents have relatively been calm as water levels are gradually decreasing in all points of south Punjab, but the aftermath of the floods remains severe.
The water level at Taunsa Barrage has been recorded at 413,010 cusecs, while Chashma Barrage’s level has been recorded at 379,981 cusecs – a considerable decrease since a few days back. At Kalabagh, the reading was 354,531 cusecs and at Tarbela, 301,300 cusecs.
However, Chancharan Sharif – located just before all four rivers of Punjab meet River Indus – remains at a high level with a reading of 750,000 cusecs. Due to the high water pressure Rojhan, Jampur and Kot Mithan of Rajanpur District remain inundated in flood waters.
So far, 190,000 people have been evacuated from the district as a breach in Kadra Canal from seven places pose a massive threat to surrounding areas. In the last 48 hours, some 104 villages have been submerged in Rajanpur District.
There are a total of 320,000 internally displaced persons (IDP) from the district, which include 23,700 families and the district only has 2,000 camps that have proved to be insufficient.
Many IDPs are protesting over the closure of Sasti Roti schemes and the consequent food crisis all over the region. Over 100 schemes have been closed off after the government of Punjab failed to provide them financial support.
In Dera Ghazi Khan District, at least 270,000 houses have been destroyed in DG Khan, out of which 120,000 houses have been completely destroyed to the ground.
(ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHEHZAD BALOCH IN QUETTA)
Published in The Express Tribune, August 20th, 2010.
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