Residents use a donkey cart to carry their belongings out of the flooded streets of Pangrio town in the Badin district on Wednesday. – Photo by Reuters

Three children drowned in stagnant rainwater and a 15-day-old girl died of diarrhoea at a relief camp in Tando Allahyar. Ms Shakal Solangi, of Ahmedabad colony in Naushahro Feroze, and Allah Wasayo, of Lal Bux Solangi village, were killed when their houses collapsed.

A little girl, Pari, drowned in stagnant rainwater near Bhirya town, and Ms Kariman Bheel, Ms Ganga and Ms Subhani died of gastroenteritis in Sanghar. Two children died of gastroenteritis in Qaiser Khan Leghari village and one in Jhuddo town, Mirpurkhas.

Army personnel have been posted along Puran Nullah, a rainwater drain in Mirpurkhas, to help remove encroachments and ensure an uninterrupted drainage of rainwater from the city. Mirpurkhas DCO Ghulam Hussain Memon said that after the deployment of troops water was flowing without any hurdle. He said half of the stagnant water was expected to be drained out in two days. People face great difficulties wading through three to four feet water flooding the roads and streets. A serious threat to Mirpurkhas city was averted after plugging of a 30-foot breach in LBOD drain near Khaan area.

A shortage of milk and vegetables persists in the city because of large-scale destruction of crops and death of cattle heads.

Rewa Kolhi, who is living in the open along Mirwah road, complained that no ration had been provided to his family by the government for a week. He alleged that some other families living nearby had been given ration, drinking water, tents and other things on the orders of influential people.

Nara Canal Area Water Board director Ghulam Mustafa Ujjan said that a five-kilometre-long ring dyke was being strengthened with the help of 19 excavators to save Mirpurkhas city from floodwater.

He said the floodwater flowing to Khaan area would be released into the LBOD.

Civil society leaders, Asghar Narejo and Kanji Rano Bheel, accused the district administration of misappropriating relief goods and other aid.

They said that a large number of people had been affected and thousands of katcha and pakka houses collapsed, but the government failed to provide relief to them and drain out water from towns and villages.

They alleged that despite directives of the chief minister, the administration had failed to remove encroachments from Puran Nullah, near Jhuddo, and Digri towns.

They urged the government to take measures to distribute ration, drinking water, tents and other essential goods among the affected people and provide them accommodation in other government buildings, instead of schools.

About four to five feet of water was standing in rural areas adjoining Digri and Kot Ghulam Mohammad and three to four feet water in residential areas of the two towns.

Mir Zafarullah Talpur, president of the Mirpurkhas chapter of Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, accused the administration of ignoring Tando Jan Mohammad taluka and nearby villages where a number of stranded people needed to be evacuated to safe places. He said no ration had been provided to affected people in the taluka, which faced a shortage of food. He urged the chief minister to take note of the situation.

About 85 per cent of the people in Jhuddo taluka have moved to safe places. About 2,000 people are still stranded in the villages of Qaiser Khan Leghari, Digo Mori, Faqeer Ghulam Haider Leghari, 13-Mile Mori and Dajero Mori in the taluka.

Sindhri and parts of Hussain Bux Mari talukas are under three to four feet of water.

In Dadu, a 1400-foot portion of the dyke of Nai Gaaj Nullah (rainwater drain) gave in to torrents caused by heavy rains. The surging waters swamped 10 villages and partially flooded 210 villages in Kachho area.

In Sanghar, a breach which developed a week ago in a saline water drain has so far flooded a housing society, Shahan Shah Colony, Royal City and Al-Mansoora Colony. More than 90 per cent of the populace has moved to other areas and almost all others are waiting for rescue teams.