News
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Floodwaters finally heading to Arabian Sea* Thatta city declared safe after breach near Fagir Jogoth fully plugged
* Floodwaters submerge Khahre Jamali, Jati towns
* ‘Exceptionally high flood’ at Kotri
KARACHI: Floodwaters that have devastated the country for five weeks headed to the Arabian Sea on Tuesday after swallowing two final towns.
After submerging almost one-fifth of the country at their peak, waters have begun to recede in Punjab and upper Sindh. “The last two towns in the path of the floods were hit late Monday,” said disaster management official Hadi Bakhsh Kalhoro.
“The floodwaters hit Khahre Jamali and Jati towns last night, and now there is no other village or town in the way of the deluge,” he said.
“We are making efforts to save the two towns which have a combined population of more than 100,000,” Kalhoro said, adding most had already left for safer spots.
“The floodwaters are now heading to the Arabian Sea,” he said.
Thatta: Meanwhile in Thatta, local authorities managed to finally plug a breach an embankment. Soldiers and city workers had been battling over the weekend to save Thatta, with most of the population of 300,000 fleeing the advancing waters.
“Thatta city has been declared safe after a breach in the river caused by floods at nearby Faqir jogoth village was fully plugged,” Kalhoro said.
Most people had already returned to Thatta. But inundated Sujawal was mostly empty on Tuesday, as water flowed down its streets and troops offloaded rubber boats from their vehicles to rescue the remaining few. The water level in the city has risen to eight feet. The floodwaters have also cut off Sujawal from Thatta and Badin.
Sindh government spokesman Jameel Soomro said that 147 people had been killed in the province, mostly as a result of disease triggered by the floods, and mostly women and children.
Southern Sindh is the worst-affected province, with 19 of its 23 districts ravaged as floodwaters have swollen the raging Indus River to 40 times its usual volume. One million people have been displaced over the past few days alone.
Eight million people have been left dependent on aid for their survival and floods have washed away huge swathes of the rich farmland on which the country’s struggling economy depends. Floodwater is also heading to Jati and Chohar Jamali towns of Thatta, while Murid Khoso of Jati Town has come under water.
The Zamzama Gas Field is still under threat as water pressure mounted on MNV Drain embankments. The flood has devastated Kot Aalmo, Bailu, Syedpur after the breach in the Surjani embankment at Kot Aalmo area.
Kotri: According to the Federal Flood Commission, the Indus River is still flowing in ‘exceptionally high flood’ at Kotri Barrage where the water outflow was recorded at 821,000 cusecs on Tuesday. The situation is likely to continue during the next 24 to 36 hours.
The subsequent ‘very-high flood situation’ at Kotri Barrage is expected TO continue during the next week.
The river is also in high-flood with falling trend at Guddu Barrage with 551,000 cusecs and in medium flood at Sukkur Barrage, where water discharge was recorded at 497,000 cusecs.
The Kabul River is in low-flood with falling trend at Nowshera, with water outflow of 46,000 cusecs.
All other rivers, including Jehlum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej are flowing normally. agencies.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk