Flooding in Sindh’s Gaj River submerged roads and pathways in over 200 villages throughout the Kachho belt, including Wahi Pandhi and Gorakh Hill Station, officials said on Saturday.
The floodwater also submerged villages such as Jam Babbar, Sher Muhammad Talpur, Muhammad Bakhsh Lund and Tamo Chandio, resulting in the collapse of 30 mud houses.
The situation was further compounded by flooding at four points along the Nai Gaj River which severed all ground connections between Wahi Pandhi, Gorakh Hill Station and the rest of the Kachho area from Dadu Johi.
The inhabitants of Kachho complained that despite the severity of the situation, the Dadu district administration and Sindh government did not implement adequate measures.
They demanded the immediate restoration of the Wahi Pandhi-Johi road to facilitate transportation and ensure the supply of essential food and resources to the affected communities.
Special assistant to Sindh chief minister and focal person for the relief department Mansoor Shahani visited the flood protection (FP) bund near Johi and observed the flood situation of the mountain ranges in Kachho.
Speaking to Dawn.com, he said he had directed irrigation officials and the Dadu deputy commissioner to provide boats for transport to the residents of the Kachho area.
He said that road communication was suspended after roads were inundated in 200 villages in the Chhinni, TR Khan, Drigh Bala, Wahi Pandhi and Pat Gul Mohammad union councils of the Kachho belt. He said that efforts were taken to restore roads.
Heavy rainfall in the mountain areas also caused a rise in the water level of Manchhar Lake which reached 116.5 feet RL.
As a result of the increased water level, overflow from the lake began to flow into the Indus River via the Aral Tail Canal.
A further 300 villages were inundated along the Indus River in Dadu, Jamshoro, Naushahro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad and Jamshoro districts as medium flood passed at Dadu-Moro and Amri bridges.
Sindh home and law minister Zia ul Hassan Lanjar, also the focal person for rain emergency for Naushahro Feroze districts, visited the Indus River at Dadu Moro bridge along with irrigation officials.
He directed irrigation officials and the district administration of Naushahro Feroze and Dadu to provide all facilities to the people of the riverine area to shift them to safe places.
During a visit to the riverine area, the irrigation officials briefed the home and law minister about the rising floodwater situation.
Speaking to Dawn.com, Lanjar said the water level in the Indus River was rising in the riverine area of Naushahro Feroze, Dadu, Shaheed Benazirabad and Matiari districts upstream of Kotri Barrage but all embankments were safe.
Irrigation officials briefed him that the water level in the Indus River in the Dadu and Sehwan areas was rising and passing safely towards Kotri Barrage. They said that water levels at the Amri and Dadu Moro bridges had increased but all embankments along the river were secure.
He told Dawn.com that the Sindh government made efforts to mitigate the floods in the urban and rural areas, adding that all line departments, including municipal committees, town committees and Sindh Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), were working to drain rainwater.
Lanjar also visited the vulnerable points of the riverine areas of Shaheed Benazirabad and observed the floodwater and rainwater situation.
Sukkur Barrage Chief Engineer Mansoor Memon told Dawn.com that there were four vulnerable points, including Bakhri and Koro Jo Bhan near Kandyaro, Mad at Sakrand and Bhanoth at Hala downstream of the barrage where the river was developing pressure but the situation was under control.
He said the Indus River had developed pressure at Bhanoth, Kalyan and Hala dykes but all of them were safe and under the strict vigilance of irrigation officials.
Superintending Engineer at Dadu Iqbal Ahmed Palijo said that patrolling along Larkana-Sehwan was initiated, adding that the flood situation was medium and safe.
Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro said the irrigation department was vigilant along the Indus River’s dykes and the flood was passing towards Kotri Barrage.
He said that patrolling at other sensitive points of embankments was continued by irrigation officials.
The water in the Indus River also began to rise in the Sehwan taluka area.
Shoro arrived at Manchhar Lake and visited Aral tail, Aral head canal regulators and Manchhar bund. He observed the situation of the floodwater coming from the Naj Gaj River and Kirthar Mountain Range.
Meanwhile, recent heavy showers in Balochistan led to a significant influx of rainwater into Qubo Saeed Lake in Qambar Shahdad Kot district, resulting in an overflow.
The situation worsened as the excess water from the lake flowed into the Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD) and the FP bund and moved towards areas of Dadu district through Hamal Lake and MNVD.
Sukkur Barrage Chief Engineer Mukhtiar Abro said officials were closely monitoring the situation to manage the potential impact on the surrounding areas. He said that efforts were underway to mitigate flooding and prevent damage to local infrastructure.
Sindh PDMA Director General Syed Salman Shah told Dawn.com that widespread rain and wind-thunderstorms with scattered heavy to very heavy, and isolated extremely heavy falls were expected in Tharparkar, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad, TM Khan, Tando Allahyar, Matiari, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Jamshoro, Dadu, Shaheed Benazirabad districts and Karachi division until August 31, with occasional gaps.
He said that deputy commissioners, chairmen of district DMAs, and relevant authorities were urged to implement all necessary mitigation measures.
Shah said the Sindh PDMA continued to supply heavy-duty de-watering pumping machines in various districts.
Abdul Aziz Soomro, the official in charge of the Sukkur Barrage control room, told Dawn.com that the water level at Guddu Barrage upstream was 193,514 cusecs and downstream was 187,953 cusecs. He said that all water levels were recorded at 6am on Saturday at three barrages.
He said the water level at Sukkur Barrage upstream was 182,765 cusecs and downstream was 173,165 cusecs while the water level at Kotri Barrage upstream was 337,218 cusecs and downstream was 335,618 cusecs.
