Pressure on Kotri keeps Sindh on tenterhooks

A dyke built temporarily at the Ratodero-Khuzdar highway in Shahdadkot struggled to prevent floodwater.

HYDERABAD/KARACHI: A dyke built temporarily at the Ratodero-Khuzdar highway in Shahdadkot struggled on Sunday to prevent floodwater from entering Shahdadkot city while rumours swirled in Hyderabad about embankments giving way to flood waters in its Latifabad and Qasimabad areas.

However, till the filing of this report only the kachcha areas that lie on the riverbed continued to be inundated.

Meanwhile, the flood torrent heading from Garhi Khairo entered Shahdadkot district on Saturday but an eight-foot high dyke constructed four kilometres north of the city, diverted it towards the west side. The water was released into the Right Bank Outfall Drain, that is supposed to dispose the
floodwater directly into Manchar lake via zero point.

The RBOD canal, however, was not able to sustain the pressure of water as a result of which 19 breaches occurred at various points towards the left of the canal. Consequently, water from the flood torrent submerged a few villages -most of it however made its way into deserted areas. Any further attempts made to block water in RBOD canal or to temper its flow in any way may lead to a disaster of high proportions as tehsils Qambar, Warah, Naher and Khairpur Natanshah could be inundated in case any such move is made.

Shahdadkot city is still under threat though, because the dyke built on the highway is not strong enough to handle the constant inflow of water. The threat to the city can only be eliminated if the inflow of water decreases or stops which is possible by repairing the Tori dyke, the destruction of which caused the flood in the area in the first place. Tori dyke’s reconstruction, however, is not possible immediately because the level and pressure of water is still very high.

The danger to Shahdadkot city is thus imminent and while 95 per cent of its population of nearly 300,000 has evacuated the city, 5 per cent remained behind hoping the dyke will withstand the flood. This, however, has given  rise to theft cases, as many of those rescued from neighbouring villages as well as residents of adjoining areas, are involved in stealing the belongings of those who evacuated their homes in a hurry, leaving behind several valuable assets.

Although the army is busy rescuing stranded people across the area through helicopters and boats, several people are still believed to be trapped in certain places ravaged by flood water.

Panic in Hyderabad

Flood waters passing by Hyderabad district have reached an ‘exceptionally high’ level while a flood torrent is expected to gain thousands of cusecs more in the next 24 hours, Kotri Barrage Chief Engineer Manzoor Shiekh said on Sunday.

According to the Kotri Barrage control room, the water flow was 857,860 cusecs upstream and 835,505 cusecs downstream at 8pm on Sunday. Flood waters receded at Sukkur Barrage to 877,426 cusecs upstream and 834,402 cusecs downstream; and at Guddu Barrage to 768,421 cusecs upstream and 762,240 cusecs downstream. Shiekh said that although Kotri barrage was under pressure because of its design capacity of just 875,000 cusecs, there was no danger to the structure.

There was panic in Hyderabad city and rumours continued to spread about embankments giving way to flood waters in Latifabad and Qasimabad areas. However, till the filing of this report only the kachcha areas that lie on the riverbed continued to be inundated.

The situation at Latifabad unit No. 10 and 4 was critical because waters have reached the Gulistane Sarmast roads near Kausaar area after submerging nearby katcha areas. Hussainabad and Sehrish Nagar too were vulnerable.

Four people were also reportedly swept away by the high tide of floods in nearby Jamshoro district’s Budda Pur area. According to mukhtiarkar Majeed Sikandar Kalhoro, when deceased Zahid’s basket fell into the river, he tried to pull it out while walking on a railway station track. However he slipped and fell in the raging river. Three of Zahid’s friends also drowned when they jumped into the river to save their friend.

Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah visited the barrage earlier in the day and was assured that the barrier would sustain the pressure. Shah held a press conference in the evening in which he stated that more than 1.6 million people in Sindh have been directly affected by the floods. Also, 20 people have been killed and around 400,000 people have lost their homes.

Meanwhile, a ‘very high flood’ was passing through 93 miles of Thatta district. According to DCO Thatta Manzoor Ali, around 500 villages in the kachcha have been affected and more than 80,000 people from there have been evacuated to 133 government relief shelters set up in the district.

Met office forecast

Metrological authorities have issued a fresh warning of a ‘persisting’ super flood for areas downstream Kotri barrage in Sindh as rescue operators continue to race against time to save marooned communities.

“River Indus at Kotri shall maintain and sustain peak which is expected to last four to five days,” said the latest advisory issued by the metrological department.

It warned that more areas in low-lying Sindh might come under water due to this sustained peak. The inundation and riverine flooding is expected in Sajawal, Mirpur Bataro, Mirpur Sakro, Jhang Shahi, Allah Rakhio, Shadadkot, Jamshoro, Matiari, Makaro, Ketibander, Shahbander in Thatta and Hyderabad districts along the riverbed.

(With additional input from Zia Khan in Islamabad)

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2010.