KARACHI: Over 100 villages in Sukkur, Larkana, Ghotki and Khairpur districts have been inundated due to flood in Indus River. The water level in the river is rising gradually and there are chances of medium flood in the river belt in interior Sindh.
Indus River System Authority (IRSA) said Tuesday that the water level in Indus River at Guddu is 422,653 cusecs, Taunsa area 342,978 cusecs, Sukkur 360,125 cusecs and Kotri 185015 cusecs.
“River Indus at Guddu is in medium flood level. At Taunsa & Sukkur, it is in low flood level. River Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala is likely attain medium to high flood level,” said Pakistan Meteorological Department in its today report.
The residents of villages in lower areas along the Indus River in Khairpur districts have been shifted to safe areas on self-help basis. “The majority of people at villages along both sides of Indus River in upper areas in Larkana and Khairpur district seem to be reluctant to shift to safe areas despite the government has issued precautionary alerts of shifting from Indus banks’ areas.
“The crops of cotton, sugarcane and vegetables standing on thousands of acres have been submerged, causing a colossal financial loss to the farmers,” said Qadir Bux Khuhro, a resident of village Dilawar Khuhro, located in taluka Gambat, district Khairpur while talking to PPI. He said that a medium flood is likely in Indus River, which will destroy agriculture crops worth millions of rupees.
Nearly 50 villages in district Khairpur along Indus River’s downstream area originating from Khairpur-Larkana bridge have been submerged while many villages have been evacuated. The crops of cotton, sugarcane and vegetables have been submerged. The cattle has also be evacuated from the submerged villages. Over 50 villages have been inundated in Ghotki, Guddu and Sukkur areas located inside Indus River.
In Larkana, flood has submerged vast area along Indus River’s both sides. The people have started evacuating the villages along with their cattle and other goods. They have been shifting to the urban areas and are residing with their relatives. “A big deluge of water is likely to pass from Indus within 24 hours,” Yar Mohammad Memon, a resident of katcha area located along Indus River told PPI. He said that the government should prepare a plan to help those people whose crops have been inundated.
A villager, Noor Muhammad Khuhro, resident of village Dilawar Khuhro, said that Indus River is in flood and several areas, including villages, have been inundated along Razidero, Agra and Sagiyoon regions in taluka Gambat of district Khairpur Mirs. He said that the government needs to help the people in view of crop losses. There is also need to evacuate people from katcha areas so as to avoid loss of life and property, he added.
Quoting government sources, he said that five lac cusecs of flood is likely to pass from the Indus River belt within some days.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa issued flood alerts after India released water into River Sutlej and Alchi Dam. Sutlej River’s water is also likely to raise flood in Indus River system.
The Indus River is one of the longest rivers in Asia. Originating in the Tibetan Plateau in the vicinity of Lake Manasarovar, the river runs a course through the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, India, towards the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan and the Hindukush ranges, and then flows in a southerly direction along the entire length of Pakistan to merge into the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi in Sindh. It is the longest river and national river of Pakistan.
