KARACHI: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Sunday alleged that the Sindh government had concealed facts about ‘rain disaster’ and flood-like situation across the province and that the 16-year rule of the PPP hadn’t yet succeeded in putting a system in place to meet the challenge of heavy rains which emerged after every few years or so.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s Karachi headquarters called Insaf House, PTI Sindh chapter president Haleem Adil Sheikh claimed that more than 45 people had lost their lives in rural Sindh in the ongoing monsoon season amid flood-like situation in many towns and villages.

He said hundreds of thousands of people were left abandoned by the PPP government in the province as He said many areas in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, and Shaheed Benazirabad divisions are still inundated with floodwaters.

Haleem Adil says many areas in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Shaheed Benazirabad are still flooded

“In Hyderabad, several neighbourhoods remain submerged, while thousands of acres of crops have been destroyed in rural Sindh,” he added.

“In coastal regions like Thatta, Badin high winds have demolished homes, and many villages in Sujawal are under water. During the last two months, 47 people have lost their lives due to the recent rains, and millions of acres of crops have been destroyed. However, the Sindh government has yet to initiate any relief work.”

The continuous rise of water in the Indus River has worsened the situation, with the floodwaters breaching the Indus Highway and cutting off over 70 villages in Dadu and Sehwan from urban centres, he added.

“The floodwaters have also washed away a levies check-post on the Sindh-Balochistan border. While Dadu, the constituency of Sindh Chief Minister, remains flooded, the Chief Minister has not visited the area,” he said.

“The Sindh government had announced construction of two million homes for victims of last floods but only a fraction of the affected people had received any help, with many still waiting for their instalments.”

He criticised the Sindh government’s “lack of response”, saying that no area was declared disaster zone, and relief activities were not commenced yet.

He accused the PPP government’s focal persons of engaging in “mere photo sessions” without providing any essential relief supplies like food or tents or medical aid.

He said several areas in Badin, including the village of Ghulam Ali Chandio, are still submerged, with water keeping both streets and homes inundated.

Over 150 villages in Dadu, he said, are surrounded by water due to flooding, while people in Umarkot, Sanghar, and Tando Allahyar are left under the open sky, awaiting aid and assistance.

“In Tando Allahyar district, two more fatalities have been reported due to rains, with several areas still waterlogged, particularly Jhundo Mari and Chamber Tehsil of Tando Allahyar. Many parts of Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Khipro, Shahdadpur, and Sindhri are also underwater, with crops completely destroyed. The situation is equally dire in Tando Adam, where flood conditions have left residents distressed,” said the PTI leader.

Karachi ‘neglected’

He criticised the Sindh government for neglecting Karachi where infrastructure had been completely destroyed by the recent rains.

“Roads and streets across the city are in ruins, with large potholes everywhere, and the sewerage system is entirely dysfunctional, exacerbating the crisis,” said Mr Sheikh.

“Let’s just take one example of Qayyumabad Flyover which was raised by spending five billion rupees, yet it is still riddled with potholes. There is a documented report of Sindh Planning and Development Department’s monitoring team, which says that Rs32 billion spent on Karachi’s Click Project was wasted due to substandard work, with the funds being embezzled by members of the PPP.”

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2024