THATTA, July 5: The joint bund dismantling committees in pursuance of the Flood Commission’s report and apex court’s directives on Tuesday began dismantling private dykes erected in the kutcha area of Thatta district to protect farmland from inundation in case of flood.

The committees comprising officials of revenue, irrigation and police departments arrived with excavators and made 25 to 30 feet wide ruptures in these bunds.

According to official figures, 30 private dykes were dismantled in Thatta taluka, five in coastal taluka Jati, seven in Sujawal, six in Shah Bandar and four in Sakro taluka.

All these bunds were raised to protect the agricultural fields mostly leased out to influential landlords by the forest department and protect their cash crop mainly banana and sugarcane.

Locals said landholders were highly influential and running businesses in the name of their associates and relatives which had been proved by the resistance they showed during the dismantling of dykes.

These bunds fall exactly within the reach of Monarki Surjani, Pinnah Baghar, Ali Bahar Aghemani and Hayan Sonda Wah of Indus and floodwater stopped by private dykes ultimately exerts pressure on river embankments.

DCO Thatta, Mohammad Jafar Abbasi, monitoring the operation told Dawn that the district government would not accept any pressure, whether political or social in dismantling private bunds as these are the major obstruction in smooth flow of Indus, particularly during floods.

Meanwhile, mukhtiarkar of taluka Ghorabari, Ibrahim Junejo has said that he would issue notices to landlords who erected private bunds prior to the dispatch of excavators to sites.