The river embankments breached during last year's floods could not be repaired or rebuilt so far while the water level is raising in river Indus at Taunsa Head works. Malik Jawad Khar, an MPA and other elected representatives of Kotadu and Muzafargarh sub-divisions said that inquiry commission had proved their innocence in the breaching of protection bunds.
These river embankments breached primarily because of the negligence and corruption of the irrigation authorities and the encroachments that obstructed the flow of water, resulting in the death of about 1,700 persons and injuries to thousands of others while the economy incurred a colossal loss of Rs 855 billion. Almost 4.5 million people lost their jobs, mostly in farm sector, 20 million became IDPs and 7 million students were deprived of their academic sessions, reveals the judicial commission's final report, which was presented to the Supreme Court on Monday and spans over 200 pages.
The report put the flood loss estimate at 5.8 percent of the total GDP, adding that about 20 million people faced acute food shortage while 3.5 children's education and 4.5 million persons' livelihood was hit by the floods. Jawad Khar said that neither Taunsa Barrage bund nor anyother dyke was breached by the influential people of the area to save their properties.
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