LAYYAH: High level flood (500,000 cusec) in the River Indus has inundated 150 villages of 70 mouzas in 11 riverine union councils of the district.

The floodwater has inundated standing crops of sugarcane, rice, cotton, sesame seeds, vegetables, mango orchards, moong and green fodder on more than 200,000 acres in the district.

The flood-hit union councils include Warrah Seharan, Baseera, Sahowala, Shahpur of Karor tehsil, Shadu Khan, Kotla Haji Shah, Lohanch Nashaib, Jhakkar, Bait Wasawa Shumali, Bhakri Ahmed Khan and Paharpur of Layyah tehsil.

During a visit to Warrah Seharan union council of karor tehsil where Basti Khayee and Makori were inundated by floodwater, Qayyum Nawaz Sehar, a local, told Dawn that the residents received no help from the district government in evacuation. He also complained of shortage of boats needed to shift flood-hit people and their cattle to safe areas.

Former federal minister Sardar Bahadur Ahmed Khan said because of the media hype the attention of the district administration attention was focused on Layyah tehsil while the people of Karor tehsil had been left on the mercy of floodwater.

He added that he privately arranged tractor-trolleys and boats for evacuation.

In Layyah tehsil the administration has established eight relief camps on F-north dyke for the flood-affected people.

An NGO, Awami Development Organisation, has provided prepared food to the flood-hit people taking refuge in the relief camps.

Ahmed Hasan, a local, said as the green fodder crop had been inundated, the district government should arrange wheat husk (toori) for the livestock in the affected areas.

District Coordination Officer Rana Gulzar, briefing the media at Shahwala spur, said to stop the river erosion the government had provided Rs100 million fund and the district administration arranged 50 truckloads of stone along with heavy machinery for the stone pitching of spur.

The DCO said the livestock department had been told to provide dry fodder for the cattle of the flood-affected people.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2015

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