ISLAMABAD: About one million more people have been displaced in Sindh in preceding 48 hours, the UN said on Friday. The UN earlier said that about six million had been forced out of their houses by the floods that began nearly a month ago. “Concern continues to be the south,” UN spokeswoman Stacey Winston told a news conference. “In the last 48 hours nearly one million people have been displaced,” she said.—Reuters

THATTA, Aug 27: Hundreds of thousands of people fled floodwaters here on Friday after a bloated Indus ripped through levees at two places, but many refused to leave the danger zone while others took refuge at the ancient Makli hill graveyard.

According to officials, about 175,000 people are believed to have fled their homes overnight in Thatta after the levee protecting the town was breached. They said government workers were trying to repair the levee.

Late in the night, a woman died while two men and another woman were injured when police used batons to disperse hundreds of hungry people who had encircled a truck carrying cooked food at the Makli stadium. The frustrated people also vented their anger by throwing stones on police personnel.

The body of Rehmat, 40, wife of Shareef Mallah, who was hit in the head, was taken to her native Saeedpur village on Thatta-Sujawal road.

Earlier on Friday, about 15,000 displaced people protested over a shortage of food, shelter and potable water and surrounded the district coordination officer's office in Makli where Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza, MPA Sadiq Ali Memon, DCO Manzoor Ali Shaikh and DPO Pir Fareed Jan Sarhandi were present. The protesters set ablaze tyres and pelted vehicles with stones.

Dr Mirza and the district police chief tried to pacify them and the DCO arranged three pick-ups loaded with flour.

A fistfight followed over collection of flour bags. Minutes later, police opened fire in the air to disperse them. Three women were injured in the rumpus.

Disaster management official Hadi Bakhsh Kalhoro said: “The situation is getting worse. The waters are flowing into a nearby canal, endangering Thatta.”

A second breach occurred in the Surjani levee in the same region, Gulab Shah, a relief worker, said. “It is beyond control now. Thousands of people are sitting here with their cattle and belongings and their lives are in danger. They are not willing to leave.”

The six-metre breach that occurred in Kot Almo protective dyke in the early hours of Thursday widened to 110 metres, discharging about 60,000 cusecs of water.

Floodwaters submerged Belo, a settlement of 15,000 people, on the left bank of the river, and were advancing towards Daro town.

Floods were likely to hit Mirpur Bathoro and Sujawal, from where majority of people had left for Thatta and Makli on Thursday.

The district administration had asked people to leave Thatta late on Thursday night after a breach in Faqir Jo Goth loop bund threatened the town.

The abrupt announcement created panic and people started rushing towards Makli on the few available vehicles as well as on foot.

The two-metre breach widened to 27 metres on Friday and army engineers' efforts to plug it failed. MNA Dr Abdul Wahid Soomro and MPA Sassui Palijo of the Pakistan People's Party were at the place.

The blamed the irrigation authorities for the breaches and said the officials concerned should be booked.

Thatta wore a deserted look and all markets remained closed.

Army engineers succeeded in plugging another breach, in a loop embankment in Keti Khosa along the left bank of the Indus near Monarki, which is among the most vulnerable dykes.

The district administration also issued warnings to people of the coastal towns of Chuhar Jamali, Ladiyon and Shah Bandar to immediately vacate the areas.

MPA Humera Alwani said the administration and legislators had discussed

the possibility of building an embankment around Thatta and started a relief operation for people pouring into Makli and other areas.

Makli turned into a junction of displaced people from Sujawal, having a population of 600,000, and Thatta.

Thousands of families were in the open, some sheltering under trees, along the Thatta-Var Ghulamullah road, near a stadium, in mausoleums, graveyards and other places.

Desperation and anger were brewing among the affected people along with hunger and helplessness.

Thatta Mukhtiarkar Rafiq Ahmed Memon said waters were overtopping the Jam branch which supplied water to the town and adjoining areas.

He said the floods were likely to reach the Thatta-Sujawal road in front of the Shahjehan mosque in a few hours and submerge the thickly populated town.