Food shortages hit flood victims of Dadu, Mirpurkhas

SUKKUR: The flood-hit victims of Johi, Dadu, and Sindhri, Mirpurkhas continued to protest against the district and irrigation authorities for their failure to drain the floodwater from their towns suspending the communication links to the district headquarters, causing food shortages.

The flood victims of a large number of riverine (Karcho) villages remained disconnected from Johi city, district Dadu, for the last 20 days when hill torrents flooded the 200 villages located there. They remain stranded on the higher land of dykes for safety and cannot make it to the Johi town as the roads remain submerged, causing shortages of food and fodder. They complained that despite the passage of a long time, the irrigation and the district management had made no headway to restore the communication links. They demanded relocation to safer places and addressing the food and fodder shortages.

Similar problems prompted the victims of rain in Sindhri, Mirpurkhas to stage a sit-in at the Mirpurkhas road causing the suspension of traffic. They complained that while their district is the worst-hit by the floods, the govt departments have done nothing to drain water that submerged their houses. They also complained "they have been left under the open sky and without tents, their families are exposed to sun. There is a shortage of food and fodder for the animals and they fear outbreak of water-borne diseases," they said. They asked for the provision of tents, food and medical help to tide over the distressing period.

Meanwhile, victims of floods resulting from breaches staged a demonstration at Garhi Khairo-Shahdadkot Road demanding relief and rehabilitation. They complained that the breach in RBDO at RD-287 has not been plugged despite the passage of a week. The flood also submerged the Harijan Colony of Ward-09, besides inundating 50 other villages.

Meanwhile, breaches in RD-70 of the Sim Nullah in Kot Ghulam Muhammed, Mirpurkhas and another at RD-07 Sim Nullah have inundated hundreds of acres agricultural lands and houses. The problems were the same for the people of Hingorano city, Sanghar, which was similarly hit by flood, submerging fields and houses and is now heading towards other towns.

The villagers felt that the relevant government departments were not seen in action to divert the flood to prevent any damage to the other towns.More damage was reported from three breaches at different locations of Sim Nullah near Garhi Khairo, district Jacobabad.