KARACHI (NNI): Evacuations were ordered as several Sindh cities including Badin and Juhi faced with new flood threat on Sunday.
The destruction caused by floods persisted in Sindh as several cities are reeling from fresh threat of flood while many are still inundated. The Irrigation Department on Sunday breached Manchhar Lake at Bagh Yusuf point in Sehwan. The lake water started moving towards the population, and there was water everywhere in the villages around Manchhar Lake.
The water torrents continued asserting their pressure on the banks of Manchhar Lake, whereas, the personnel of Pakistan Army and Rangers were also on high alert. The exercise was done to save Sehwan and Dadu.
Meanwhile, Sindh Minister for Information and Transport Sharjeel Inam Memon said while addressing a press conference at Hyderabad’s Rawal
House that the breach had been organised in the lake to save the population.
“125,000 people have to be relocated immediately. Sehwan and Bhan Syedabad were feared to be affected. Many union councils will be submerged by organising a breach in the lake,” he said.
“Sindh chief minister’s native village Wahar has also been affected along with five other badly-hit union councils. The chief minister is present in the affected areas,” he added.
The provincial minister also said that water was overflowing from Manchhar Lake due to strong winds, adding that 23 districts had been badly affected by flood.
He vowed to accelerate efforts for setting up more relief camps and tent cities for the flood-hit people, adding that the government was under intense pressure for providing relief to the flood victims.
“No negligence on the part of officials has yet come to the fore,” he said. “Wherever the breaches were organised, it was done in the interest of the people,” he maintained. “New tent cities will be set up for 125,000 displaced people,” he declared.
A massive torrent of about 600,000 cusecs of floodwater from Indus River has been passing through Mud Mangi near Nawabshah for the past 24 hours. After 25 hours, the water level has started to decrease. However, the administration is on high alert and the river embankments are being monitored.
The swollen Manchhar Lake also sent flood warnings to many cities including with Deputy Commissioner Jamshoro Fareed Uddin issued an order to evacuate the area.
According to the official directive, the banks of Manchar Lake were likely to burst any time, so people were requested to leave. “There is pressure on the dam of Manchar Lake from RD 54 to RD 58 and the water level in the lake started to rise. The situation in Manchar Lake has reached an extremely dangerous level due to high level of water,” it added.
The people have been requested to evacuate as soon as possible and take safety measures.
The house of Sajid Ali Sajid, the famous singer of Kot Faqir, has also been swept away in flood which has now entered Badin, causing people there to leave their houses and live under the open sky.
Gambit city has also become a picture of helplessness. In the recent rains and floods, the second major specialised commando training centre of Sindh has been submerged.
Boats are being rowed in the commando centre that is submerged in seven to eight feet of water. 1,350 under-training police commandos from all over the country have been sent to their native towns.
The Warah tehsil of Qambar district has also been severely affected by the flood water from canals. Several roads have been disconnected. A massive torrent of floodwater is passing through Khairpur Nathan Shah.
There is also no boat service of the local administration to help the victims. Due to strong winds, the water pressure on the embankment near Mehar city bypass increased significantly.
The risk of embankment collapsing increased, and the citizens kept praying God in the distressed condition. However, the residents of Mehar city plugged a canal breach and saved the city from flooding. A video of their efforts for plugging the breach went viral on social media.
A large number of the residents of Mehar city reached the point of canal breach after the news about canal breach spread on social media.
They reached the spot of canal breach through social media live service and helped themselves to plug the breach.
On the other hand, 95 percent of the houses collapsed in Dandh village near Mohenjo-Daro in recent rains and floods. People saved their lives by taking shelter in the parking lot of Mohenjo-Daro.
There rules an eerie silence in Tando Allahyar as more than 2,000 villages in the area have been submerged in floodwater. The flood victims are on the streets as no help has arrived for their relief.
There was also a shortage of drinking water, and the flood victims are faced with hunger and various diseases.
Similarly, water level in Manchhar Lake has increased dangerously high, threatening a breach. The administration has issued directions for the evacuation of nearby areas, for the water level in the lake has reached 23 feet high. Strong winds are causing powerful waves in the lake, putting Mehar and Johi cities at risk of flooding.
As the flow of the River Indus has increased dramatically, citizens have come to enjoy themselves on the embankments instead of moving away.
A video of citizens camping with their families on the embankments has gone viral on social media. Even the administration and the police could not remove the citizens from the embankments of the river. It is feared that abnormal rise in water flow and carelessness of citizens may cause accidents.
Heavy traffic jams were witnessed on National Highway 5 in Dadu and long queues of vehicles could be seen for several kilometers on Dadu-Moro Road on Sunday. One-way traffic on the National Highway to Moro was completely blocked due to floodwater.
According to details, thousands of commuters remained trapped due to the heavy blockade on Dadu-Moro Road, and one-way traffic was entirely clogged the National Highway 5 due to the damage caused by downpours and unusual rainfall.
The situation took an ugly turn when trucks, containers, tankers, and goods transport remained stranded in traffic for 7-5 days. The worst traffic jam from Skarand Bypass to Moro became a nightmare for commuters.
