With the death toll from the weather disaster rising to 12, evacuations resumed in some areas of Sindh on Thursday as authorities rushed to repair a hole in the Main Nara Valley Drain, also known as the Right Bank Outfall Drain-I, to stop floodwaters from reaching Dadu city.
It was discovered on Tuesday that the drain at RD-10 had been broken. At first, it was thought that letting water flow freely out of the drain would reduce the likelihood of flooding in the Dadu and Jamshoro districts.
However, things took a different turn on Thursday morning, when news came in that water levels were rising and were headed for Dadu city, the district capital.
PPP MPA Pir Mujeebul Haq, who was elected from Dadu’s PS-85 constituency, said, “The water is flowing swiftly towards Dadu city” because of the rupture.
Syed Murtaza Ali Shah, DC of Dadu, has stated that more machinery is being used to seal the hole. In addition, he added, efforts were under way to construct embankments to safeguard the metropolis.
At around midday, he updated everyone on the status, saying that 90% of the hole had been patched and that the issue should be under control within two hours.
Two breaches were constructed in the protective dyke surrounding Manchhar Lake in recent days to redirect floodwaters running into the lake away from highly inhabited regions and away from the cities of Sehwan and Bhan Syedabad.
“dangerously near to bursting its banks, even after having been breached in an operation that displaced 100,000 people,” Reuters reported on Wednesday about the largest freshwater lake in the country.
Despite claims that the lake’s water level has reduced, even little, the concern remains because the lake’s water is still flooding sections of the province.
Over 100 villages in three union councils in the district have been flooded by lake water, according to PPP MNA Sikandar Ali Rahoupoto, who was elected from Jamshoro’s NA-233 constituency and spoke with Dawn.com earlier today.
Water from the lake is rushing toward Tatli and Katohar union councils, according to the district commissioner (DC) of the area, Fariduddin Mustafa, said that many people have evacuated Bhan Syedabad town and other nearby places because of the possibility of floods.
MNA Rahoupoto claims that hundreds of residents had been moved to safety.
In the past, two dyke breaches at RD-14 and RD-52 allowed lake water to flood five union councils in the Sehwan taluka.
Mahnur is MS(development Studies)Student at NUST University, completed BS Hons in Eng Literature. Content Writer, Policy analyst, Climate Change specialist, Teacher, HR Recruiter.
