MITHI: Rain-induced flooding, a new addition to disaster prone Tharparkar district, and manmade breaches in the dykes of LBOD have rendered 70,000 people homeless in the district, says Syed Sardar Ali Shah, Sindh minister for culture and focal person for Tharparkar.

Shah said at a press conference held here on Sunday that the LBOD which ran through parts of Tharparkar appeared to have a manmade breach at RD-281 near Naukot town which resulted in the displacement of thousands of families from irrigated region of the district and other adjacent areas.

He said the displaced families had been provided accommodation at safe places in the district and given 2,500 tents so far. The flooding also damaged ready-to-harvest crops on thousands of acres, causing losses of billions of rupees in three union councils of Bhaitaro, Phant and Moran, he said.

He said the administration faced serious difficulties procuring relief material from Karachi markets as the metropolis too was hit by the worst urban flooding of its history.

He said that they had already started relief operation in the district by providing cooked food, tents and ration packages to displaced families with the support of various government agencies and relief organisations.

The minister said that besides the displaced population of Tharparkar they were hosting thousands of displaced families from adjacent districts of Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, and Badin as well who were staying on sand dunes and in open areas. “The district administration is providing them food, drinking water, tents and medical services,” he added.

He said the district would continue to suffer inundation till encroachments on natural drains were permanently removed.

He denied nepotism in relief distribution in answer to a question but promised to investigate the allegation.

Meanwhile, Thar Foundation, a welfare arm of the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC), Pakistan Rangers Sindh, and PPHI have also mobilised their resources to help flood victims in the district.

Mohsin Babbar, spokesperson for the foundation, told this reporter that they were distributing food among more than 3,500 people daily in UCs of Phant and Bhetaro whereas other relief organisations were providing relief in some other areas.

He said that thousands of displaced families were forced to take shelter in government buildings and schools, Naukot Fort, tent camps at Kaloi and Shakoorabad, elevated canal banks and roadsides.

“We have also jointly established three emergency medical camps, including a mobile hospital where free of cost medicines, consultation and even delivery services are being offered,” he added.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2020