LARKANA: Sindh Min­ister for Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that Manchhar Lake has filled to its maximum capacity and in the obtaining situation irrigation experts were asked to chalk out a strategy accordingly to tackle the situation. Addressing press conference at the local press club on Saturday, he admitted that amidst the large scale damage caused by the unprecedented rains, Sindh government alone was not in a position to cope with the situation.

He said the chief of army staff and prime minister were currently visiting the affected areas in the country and taking aerial view of the affected areas to assess the devastation. He said the PM was likely to fly over Dadu and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts and Dadu districts on Sunday while Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was also planning to have an aerial view of the rain-affected areas.

Accompanied by former home minister Sohail Anwar Siyal, political secretary to the PPP chairman Jamil Soomro, Nasir Shah said that floodwater gushing from Balochistan would finally flow into River Indus after crossing Manchhar Lake. Due to unexpected water volume, we could not guess at the moment that for how much time the water would stay in Manchhar Lake, the minister said.

He said 23 districts of Sindh were affected by the rains whereas Qambar-Shahdadkot and certain other districts were badly devastated. He said over 10 million people were affected in Sindh whereas the agriculture sector was severely hit. The minister apprehended cropping up of food scarcity issue in the days to come. If receding of water too more time than expected, this could cause another problem of cultivating wheat crop, as in standing water, crop could not be sown, he said.

Keeping this in view, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had proposed fixing of official wheat procurement rate at Rs4,000/40kg instead of Rs3,000/40kg, he said.

Referring to relief distribution work, the minister said that so far, 127,000 tents had been provided to marooned people in Sindh while the government had also placed an order for more tents. He stressed on establishing ‘tent cities’ to accommodate displaced people and appreciated NGOs for purring in their efforts in serving the affected population.

Akil Aghani Bund

In reply to a question, he said floods posed no threat to Sukkur Barrage, Akil Aghani and certain other dykes, and advised people not to lend ear to rumours being spread through social media to create fear and apprehensions among people. “You are welcome to criticise government but you must have seen our people present in the field in this difficult time,” Mr Shah said.

The Larkana administration was asked to clear stagnant water from the city areas within three days or face the music, he said.

MPA Sohail Anwar Siyal linked the damage sustained by villages of Larkana to the heavy flooding in Qambar-Shahdadkot and Dadu districts. He said 56 people marooned in Qambar-Shahdadkot areas were rescued by army using helicopters. He appealed to philanthropists to come forward and put in their share in mitigating the miseries of the rain-affected people. He noted that currently high flood peak was passing through Sukkur Barrage, and hoped that floodwater would start receding within five days.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2022