Thatta left nearly empty: floodwaters make another breach in levees protecting city

Two districts of Sindh are seeking Divine blessings for their safety after floodwaters penetrated Thatta and Dadu districts, rendering 2 million people homeless in just 72 hours. Thousands of disaster-hit poor people have started fleeing the affected areas to safe places. The residents of Thatta in particular have left the city nearly empty.
The district governments have asked the international donor agencies for help. A seven-kilometre-wide powerful current entered Sajawal after inundating hundreds of villages on its way to this town late Saturday night. Besides, floodwaters hit three union councils of Dadu district's Taluka Mehar and is fast-approaching Johi.
Sources told Business Recorder floodwaters gushing from the breach of MS embankment entered Sajawal after devastating Kot Alimu, Belo, Sikandaria, Ali Samoo, Qadir Junejo, Saeedpur and Dhamra villages. On the other hand, another breach has occurred in Chhatto Chand Canal near MS bund. Breaches in Faqir Jo Goth dyke could not be plugged till our going to press. The floodwaters are 2.5 kilometers away from Thatta City, which has been encircled with muddy embankments.
People from Daro, Sajawal, Mirpur Batharo were still migrating from the red zones to ancient Makli graveyard, high grounds and other hilly areas of the district. Talking to Business Recorder, Manzoor Ali Sheikh, District Co-ordination Officer (DCO) Thatta, said the city could not be protected against the incidence of high inundation even if the Faqir Jo Goth embankment was plugged during the next 24 hours. He said floodwaters were overtopping the banks of KB Feeder or breaking through dykes Thatta's last line of defence, due to rise in pressure.
"The breach in Faqir Jo Goth dyke widened to 150 feet and Pakistan Army jawans are trying to plug the breach," the DCO said, adding that if flow of water could not be reduced, it would wash away Thatta. The flood wave is 2.5 kilometre away from Thatta and it is not possible for us to save the city from inundation.To a question, he said the district and provincial governments could not facilitate 500,000 affected people with transport, food and potable water.
According to him, the flood wave, originating from MS dyke has entered Sajawal. He appealed to the international community to provide help to poor population.Almost 0.6 million people from 18 union councils of District Dadu have moved to safe places.
Iqbal Memon, DCO Dadu, told Business Recorder that the floodwater from Hamal Lake has entered District Dadu through Mehar. "It was an exceptionally high tide, which struck three union councils and washed away the entire structure," he said, adding that the floodwaters had started penetrating Mehar City with full force. He said people in 391 villages and 18 union councils of Mehar, Khairpur-Nathan (KN) Shah and Johi were moving to safe places. According to him, Johi City has been ringed with muddy embankments as a measure to resist flooding.
He said floodwaters would be driven towards MNV Drain to Manchar Lake, which has a capacity of 118 RL. "The level of the lake is 111 RL and it has capacity to receive 7 RL of floodwater. If the water level and pressure in the River Indus does not reduce in a week, the lake would start overflowing," he said, adding that if it happens, the entire district and Sehwan Taluka would be inundated.
AP adds: Floodwaters made another break Saturday in the levees protecting a southern Pakistani city, as thousands of residents fled for high ground and left the city nearly empty. Both sides of the main road were crowded with people from Thatta and nearby flooded villages fleeing the floodwaters. Many had spent the night sleeping out in the open. Hadi Baksh Kalhoro, a Thatta disaster management official, said more than 175,000 people had left the city, leaving few behind.
Some are heading for nearby towns or cities, he said, with thousands also headed for the high ground of an ancient graveyard for Muslim saints. He said the latest levee breach, which happened early Saturday, could leave the outskirts of Thatta flooded by later in the day. The city is about 75 miles (125 kilometers) south-east of the major coastal city of Karachi.
The floods began in the mountainous north-west about a month ago with the onset of monsoon rains and have moved slowly down the country toward the coast in the south, inundating vast swaths of prime agricultural land and damaging or destroying more than 1 million homes. More than 8 million people are in need of emergency assistance across the country.
The United Nations, the Pakistani army and a host of local and international relief groups have been rushing aid workers, medicine, food and water to the affected regions, but are unable to reach many people. On Saturday, flood victims blocked a road in Thatta to protest the shortage of aid, most of which is randomly thrown from trucks into crowds of needy people.
``The people who come here to give us food treat us like beggars. They just throw the food. It is humiliating,' said 80-year-old Karima, who uses only one name. She was living in the graveyard with more than two dozen relatives. The floods also displaced thousands of minority Hindus in southern Sindh province. About 3,000 were living at a centuries-old Hindu temple inside the sprawling graveyard. ``I am also fasting and praying for the flood to recede as it has already snatched husbands from wives, sons and daughters from parents, brothers from sisters, and sisters from brothers,' said Geeta Bai, 32, as she sat outside the temple.
Pakistan's population is nearly all Muslim. The new levee breach came as captured Islamist militants seized their guards' weapons during an interrogation Saturday and took two hostage, setting off a gunbattle, officials said. Police officials initially said militants had attacked the army intelligence office during the interrogation but later said the assault had not come from outside.
The militants ``overpowered two sentries' and took them hostage, said Major General Athar Abbas, the Pakistani army spokesman. Further details remained hazy. The area around the office was sealed off soon after the attack, which began about 6 am. Sporadic gunfire could still be heard more than seven hours later.