LARKANA: The stagnant rainwater in most areas of Larkana poses a serious threat of outbreak of water-borne diseases and warrants attention of the administration and other authorities concerned for effective arrangements for the removal of rainwater and sewage. The situation also demands setting up of medical camps to ward off the danger.

Though rainfall stopped on Friday, the low-lying areas and main arteries of city remained submerged. The water which had already encircled the Chandka Medical College Teaching Hospital has now entered into the main administration building and other departments. Principal of the college Prof Dr Zameer Soomro, talking to Dawn, said not only his office was filled with rainwater, but the adjacent offices and departments were also facing the same situation. Early arrangements to drain out water would be the only option to save main structures from serious damage, he added.

Most residents in Doctors’ Colony, Professors’ Colony and lower staff’s colony were vacated by their residents when they found it risky to stay on, he said. “This is quite an unusual situation which demands extraordinary measures,” he said.

Improper and ineffective operation of the main water disposal pumping stations has fallen short of clear the huge volume of rainwater. Power outage has aggravated the situation. Feeling the seriousness of the obtaining conditions, people came on roads and held demonstrations. The main Al-Murtaza House road was closed to pump out water while residents of OPF appeared to be the worst-affected area like Sachal Colony, where measures to drain out water were quite delayed. Also closure of gas supply to many areas in Larkana has multiplied grievances of rain-hit residents.

Patients suffer as access to CMCH remains blocked

Indus Highway hit by deluge

The heavy rainfall along with the deluges descending from the Kachho belt caused overtopping and flooding Indus Highway near Dhamraho Wah (irrigation channel), some 30 kilometres from here, close to Nasirabad town. Water is gushing from east and heading towards west with increased pressure, forcing the vehicular traffic to move at a snail’s pace.

At present, one to two feet high water was overtopping the Indus Highway within about 2.5 furlong length, local people said. Had it not been overtopped, it would have directly hit Nasirabad town, they said. Now both pressure and tension among population were subsiding, they said. The motorway police were monitoring traffic flow on the road.

This water flow would pass from Gaji Khuhawar and after striking against ‘Suprio Bund’ it would deflect to the Main Nara Valley (MNV) Drain. This drain would finally carry the deluge to Manchhar Lake.

DC earns court’s ire

District and Sessions Judge of Larkana Syed Sharafuddian Shah on Friday issued notices to the deputy commissioner and chief municipal officer over their failure to remove rainwater from court’s buildings and other city areas within three days, as was ordered on August 22.

The judge, being the chairman of criminal justice coordination committee, had asked them to remove rainwater by August 25 and file a compliance report.

“But you did not care, which reflects gross negligence on your part, therefore, the show-cause notice is issued,” the judge said.

The district and sessions judge has ordered them to appear in person along with their reply on Aug 28 that why proceedings under Section 175 read with Section 186 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) should not initiated against them. “In case of failure, an appropriate order under scheme of law will be passed,” the notice said.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2022