Friday, August 13, 2010

Flood victims desperately awaiting aid as Ramazan begins

MUZAFFARGARH/SUKKUR: Hundreds of thousands of flood victims are desperately awaiting relief as first day of this year’s holy month of Ramazan dawned across the country on Thursday.

The flood water, after inundating most of the Kutcha area in interior Sindh, is now making its way towards the

cities while a heavy flood is being feared to pass from Chenab River at Head Khanki in the next few hours.

A massive stream of 1.97 million cusec water is currently passing from Sukkur Barrage while a heavy flood of 976,870 cusecs is running from Guddu Barrage.

1.72 million cusec water is being released from Sukkur Barrage to Kotri Barrage.

Flash floods have swept away most of the Kutcha area in Sukkur, Kashmor, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Khairpur, Larkana, Naushehro Feroz, Matiari, Dadu and Ghotki. And now the water is heading towards cities.

Relief camps with availability of food and basic amenities have been set up in many parts of the affected areas but thousands of people are still trapped in flood waters spreading across many miles.

Chief Secretary Sindh Fazl-ur-Rehman Thursday said that people living in Kutcha areas will have to be shifted to safer places and those who are reluctant to move will forcibly be evacuated by the Army personnel and Rangers.

He was talking to media men after receiving a briefing on the flood situation by the district administration and Department of Irrigation here at Makli.

Fazl-ur-Rehman said a medical aid facility will be made part of every relief camp which will be working round-the-clock.

The floodwater in Rajanpur’s worst affected areas of Jampur and Kot Mithan could not be drained out as yet and still both cities are water-locked under several feet of water.

Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts are still cut off from the rest of the country for the fifth day now, as Indus Highway and Multan Road were washed away.

The high tide, having rampaged Shah Jamal area of Muzaffargarh, is at five kilometers away from Khangarh at Sheikhpur, where it has breached local nullah on three points.

Thousands of flood-thrashed people are waiting for government succor and evacuating to safer locations on self-help basis.

The operation to rescue the flood-stranded people in Adda Baseeran is in progress.

The River Chenab is witnessing tide after tide. But, according to Irrigation department, the biggest tide will pass through River Chenab at Head Khanki today, for which the district administration has taken up all necessary arrangements.

The breach in Bhong protective embankment in Rahim Yar Khan tehsil of Sadiqabad, could not be plugged as yet, allowing the unleashed water to approach near National Highway on Sindh-Punjab border.

The administration could not make any arrangements as yet to plug the embankment.

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