DADU A 70-foot wide breach on the Indus highway, one kilometre from Dadu-Moro bridge, inundated 13 villages on Monday. Two breaches have been developed by irrigation officials at RBOD Nullah to protect Sann and Manjhand towns. The breach at the left side of the road near Dadu-Moro bridge widened from 30 feet on Monday morning to 70 feet in the evening.
Irrigation officials tried to plug the breach, but failed to do so because of heavy pressure of floodwaters. Lalia Patan, Jessar, Ismail Solangi and 10 other villages were inundated.
Babar Effendi, a senior irrigation official, told Dawn that the pressure of water had washed away all flood material and stones at the site of Dadu-Moro bridge, adding that the water level was rising at the bridge.
About 60 per cent residents of the villages have been evacuated. The rest have been hiring boats to move to safe places.
Rahim Bux Jessar, a resident of Jessar, complained that the government was not providing any means of transport to shift the villagers to a relief camp in Dadu. He alleged that the breach had occurred because of the negligence of irrigation officials, adding that 800 kutcha houses had collapsed in the area.
The administration has suspended traffic at the Dadu-Moro bridge and deployed police.
The Larkana-Sehwan protective embankment, near Dadu town, and Sann embankment are under threat because of the rising waters. The floodwater has inundated 20 villages surrounding Manjhand town, including Kt Qadir Bux and Mohammad Bux. The floodwater has entered Paleejo Mohalla of Sann.
Irrigation officials developed two breaches at RBOD Nullah in Veeh Dari to reduce pressure at the Sann embankment and protect Manjhand town and parts of Sann. An irrigation official said that two breaches, 20 feet wide each, were created at the nullah, adding that 50,000 cusecs of water was flowing through the breaches, threatening the shrine of Ovais Karni in a mountainous area.
The floodwater has inundated the Indus highway, near the Bhago Toro mountain, Kotri-Larkana railway track, near Laki Shah Saddar town, and surrounding areas of Sehwan town. About 300 kutcha houses collapsed and a number of others have been inundated near the Sewastan fort.
Lal Bagh area in Sehwan is under water.
A man was killed and two others were injured when the roof of their house collapsed in Moundar town on Monday.
Dadu DCO Mohammad Iqbal Memon said that 38,773 flood-affected people had been registered at relief camps in the district and people stranded in kutcha areas were being evacuated.
He warned that embankments of Dadu canal were not strong enough to withstand the floodwater and if any breach occurred at the Larkana-Sehwan embankment.
He said that 15 people of Ibrahim Chandio village were stranded on an army boat in kutcha area of Taluka Mehar because of rain, adding that another boat had been sent to help them. The DCO said that more boats were needed to shift the stranded people to safe places.
The Minister of State for Food and Agriculture, Rafique Ahmed Jamali, and Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haque visited the Larkana-Sehwan region and assured locals that all efforts would made to protect Dadu town.
