Helping those in need: ‘Possibility of another flood cannot be ruled out’

The PRF has been actively involved in providing relief to the displaced people in flood-affected areas.

SUKKUR:

Though the situation does not seem to be as bad as the floods in 2010, the forecast of the Met Office of potential heavy rains starting from August 28 and the projected release of more water by India seem to be a bad omen for coming times.

Precautionary measures must be taken before it is too late, advised the Pakistan Relief Foundation (PRF) chairperson, Haleem Adil Shaikh, during his visit to the katcha areas in districts Ghotki and Kandhkot. He said that the displaced people were in desperate need of tents, food and medicines. Sheikh reported that the victims often complained about the lack of snake-bite vaccines due to which many precious lives were lost. He reminded that more than 280 people had lost their lives during the rains in 2012 while around 700 children had died due to measles for which the government was to blame.

Shaikh apprised the media that, during his visit to the Qadirpur Loop Bund near Ghotki, he observed that a large number of people had moved closer to the protective embankments to save their lives. Haleem Adil said that these people were badly in need of immediate attention. Shaikh told The Express Tribune that, so far, the PRF had distributed around 2,034 tents in northern Sindh besides providing two mosquito nets and one water cooler to every affected family. These packages were immediately distributed through implementing partners in four districts, including Khairpur, Sukkur, Ghotki and Kandhkot. He said that during each visit to the affected areas, officials of the PRF closely monitored the situation and found interesting facts which revealed the failure of the system leading to the inundation of hundreds of villages. The flooding caused heavy losses to lives and property of the residents of the areas.

He reminisced that during a visit to Ghotki taluka, the PRF had come across the Shaink embankment at Qadirpur which was a very controversial structure because of its design. This embankment put many villages in UC Qadirpur and near Kari Dhandh under threat, he said, adding that Shaink bund will not be able to resist the increased pressure of water in the coming days. He said that it was reported by locals that this controversial embankment was not listed in the official records of the Irrigation Department.

Shaikh said that the PRF was offering support to the affected people on both sides of River Indus. He said that around 512 tents had been provided to affected persons on a priority basis in UC Haibat and UC Gublo. Many people were residing at the embankment at UC Haibat near the controversial Tori embankment.

He requested the authorities to come up with an effective strategy for rescue and relief operations in the worst affected areas of Khairpur, Sukkur and Ghotki and Kashmore.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2013.