HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC), Hyderabad circuit, on Wednesday directed the Dadu district administration to dewater Khairpur Nathan Shah within two weeks.

The bench, comprising Justices Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Mohammad Saleem Jessar, issued the direction while hearing a contempt of court application filed by petitioner Altaf Awan advocate on flooding of K.N. Shah.

It added that the district administration should also ensure sanitation and fumigation in the town where water had receded in different pockets. Mr Awan is the resident of K N Shah and general secretary of the High Court Bar Association (HCBA).

An executive engineer of the irrigation department, Bal Ram, informed the court that 10 machines were installed at Johi branch to drain water of Khairpur Nathan Shah.

He said the Sindh secretary irrigation had appeared before the SHC Larkana bench where he sought 30 day time to dewater K. N. Shah.

He said the banks of a channel from Khairpur Nathan Shah to Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD) had been washed away by floodwater.

Those banks were being rehabilitated, he said, adding that those breaches were being plugged now. He said the route between Khairpur Nathan Shah and Mehar had been restored.

Mr Awan contended that one person drowned in Khairpur Nathan Shah behind the Government Degree College, which showed that how much water was still standing in and around K .N. Shah.

He questioned the Dadu deputy commissioner’s report that reflects administrative measures in case of Khairpur Nathan Shah. The lawyer said water was still accumulating outside Shahbaz colony.

He said that academic activities remained suspended in the city due to those conditions.

Justice Kalhoro told Sindh Additional Advocate General (AAG) Mohammad Ismail Bhutto to convey directives to the Dadu district administration to ensure dewatering in different pockets of K N Shah so that people could return to their abodes and start their normal life.

The judge said the AAG should also convey the municipal authorities the directives of the court that fumigation and sanitation should be ensured within two weeks.

The court fixed the matter for hearing after two weeks’ time on Nov 9.

The applicant requested the court to initiate contempt proceedings against contemnors for violation of Sept 13 court orders, directing installation of dewatering machines in Khairpur Nathan Shah, carrying out anti-mosquito sprays and establishing medical camps in the flood affected areas across Dadu district.

According to his plea, Dadu Deputy Commissioner Murtaza Ali Shah, Sindh Health Services Director General Dr Mohammad Juman Bahoto, Dadu district health officer (DHO) Dr Ahmed Ali Samejo and Taluka Hospital Khairpur Nathan Shah Medical Superinte­ndent Dr Sikandar Naich had committed contempt of court by violating the Sept 13 court order.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2022