MIRPURKHAS: Panic and fear have spread in parts of lower Sindh, following the rise in under-ground water level due to recent devastating floods. The residents of these areas fear it could threaten the foundations of their buildings as the water starts oozing out at two feet of digging, while in some areas water just seeps out of the ground.
Owners of various big buildings and houses in Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Sanghar and Tharparkar districts told Pakistan Today on Tuesday that their structures had developed cracks after the rise in underground water. Noor Nabi Chandio, Ahmad Khan, Kashif Ghouri, Malik Allah Ditta and others said that they were seeing the phenomenon for the first time in their lives. Abdul Rashid DG Institute of Metrology and Geophysics Sindh told Pakistan Today that the increase in the water table could be an effect of recent heavy rainfall and floods.
He said the issue did not fall within the domain of his department and that it could be tackled by the Agriculture and Irrigation departments.
Meanwhile, construction work at bigger structures has come to a halt. On January 26, 2001 an earthquake devastated a large part of lower Sindh – especially the arid zones of Tharparakr and Umerkot deserts – and some parts of Badin district. After the earthquake, the underground water-level had decreased alarmingly, but the floods have reversed the process.
