High flood submerges villages, destroys crops in Sindh’s riverine belt

SUKKUR: A high flood has inundated vast riverine areas of Naushahro Feroze district, submerging most villages and destroying standing crops.

According to reports, road and land links to the village of Sher Muhammad Khoso in the old Mukhat riverine belt have been cut off, leaving residents stranded.

The stagnant water has triggered outbreaks of diseases, with malaria spreading among flood victims in makeshift settlements.

Agricultural losses are mounting, with several feet of water accumulating in lemon orchards spread over more than 2,000 acres. Farmers have urged the Sindh government to announce a comprehensive relief package to compensate for their losses.

In Ghotki, land connections to many riverine villages remain severed, forcing people to rely on boats as the only means of transportation to urban centres. Crops standing on thousands of acres have been wiped out.

Although the floodwater level has started to recede, large tracts of katcha areas in Qadirpur, Rawanti, and Aundal Sundarani remain inundated.

Meanwhile, the flow of the Indus River has increased in Nawabshah, submerging several more villages. Rescue teams are engaged in shifting marooned people to safer locations.