Chaos as govt fails to deliver in Thatta

THATTA: The situation in Thatta on Friday could only be described as utterly chaotic. Thousands of people rushed frantically towards safer grounds in nearby towns and cities in any mode of transport they could get; many were being loaded on mini vans haphazardly; mobs were looting trucks carrying relief goods, leaving dozens of victims without anything to eat.

Flood waters continued to rush towards Thatta as irrigation and army engineers struggled to plug the late night breach at the Faqir Jo Goth embankment located just seven kilometres away. According to an official, the breach has widened to more than 30 metres, making it impossible to be plugged. Army troops with spades and trucks could be seen moving towards the spillway.

Provincial minister and chairperson Thatta relief operations, Sassui Palijo, anxiously looked on at the submerged Faqir Jo Goth, which at one time housed more than 8,000 people. When asked whether her administration will be able to save the city that houses more than 200,000 people, she said, “I want to be hopeful, but we are facing great challenges.” She added that there was an urgent need for heavy machinery which despite several hours since the incident had still not arrived.

“I’ve told the chief minister that if Shahdadkot can be saved, then why not Thatta,” she said.

Member National Assembly and PPP senior leader, Dr Abdul Wahid Soomro, blamed the ‘incompetence’ of irrigation officials for the disaster in his district. “Officials like Chief Engineer Manzoor Shiekh were busy in beauty parlours,” he said, adding that several irrigation officials have disappeared overnight. He went on to declare that the government will soon launch cases against these officials in anti-terrorism courts.

On the other hand, residents of Thatta blamed PPP for the catastrophe. “They roam around in their fancy cars and do nothing for us,” said Rizwan, who shifted with great difficulty his entire family of seven to Makli city, where most of the  panic-stricken people fled. “Each man was on his own last night,” said Saeen Kabir, who was still reeling from the shock.

DCO Thatta Manzoor Ali stayed away from his main office, where victims had blocked the road for several hours to protest against the mismanagement of relief goods. They complained that they had not had food or received any tents for their families.

While Palijo claimed that she had made arrangements for victims outside the Central Jail Makli, people claimed that they were nothing short from ‘pathetic’.

Thousands of victims were lying out in the open without any relief supplies. There were many like Sajjan, who had fled the floods from Upper Sindh, thinking that Thatta would remain safe. “Where will we go now?” he said.

Some PPP workers, as well, were upset with how the unfolding disaster was being managed. “Zulfiqar Mirza was in Thatta having dinner with his guests, including DPO Pir Farid when the breach occurred,” said one worker, who did not wish to be named. “However, instead of helping, he chose to run away,” he said.

The historic Shah Jehan Mosque and the 500-year old Sri Chandar temple, both which lie on the same road leading to the leaking Faqir Goth embankment, are in the line of destruction.

Meanwhile, more than 10 more villages in Sajjawal Tehsil have submerged due to the flood waters cutting past the MS dyke at Kot Almu.

Persistent peak at Kotri

Areas of lower Sindh downstream Kotri are likely to come under water. According to the Kotri Barrage control room, the dangerous level of the super flood was continuing to rise and is expected to increase pressure on embankments downstream from Jamshoro, Hyderabad and all the way down to district Thatta. The water flow at the barrage at 10pm on Friday was 964,897 cusecs upstream and 939,442 downstream, which was just 15,000 cusecs short of its record flow in 1956.

There are scant chances of a decline in the next couple of days as River Indus will continue to flow at a high flood between 0.6 and 0.7 million cusecs for at least the next 10 days.

In Shahdadkot, following a breach in the Right Bank Outfall Drain III (RBOD), water has been diverted towards Meru Khan Drain by cutting open Baggu Road. Evacuation warnings have been issued in Khandu, Mir Pur Chandiyo and Gaji Khawad areas of sub-division Warah in Qambar-Shahdadkot district.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2010.