Business centres submerged as floodwater rises

HYDERABAD: At least three business centres of Jamshoro district have lost their land route connections with other parts of Pakistan as flood water submerged all the connecting arteries, locals said on Saturday.
These areas, including Unerpur, Budhapur and Amri are the business hubs for several villages of catchments. A few proactive families had shifted to the safer places before the flood inflows, while others are marooned, waiting for the boat rescue.
These towns are located at both the sides of the main Indus Highway without protective embankments.
A woman standing in a knee-deep floodwater in Sono Khan Zardari’s low-lying area was seen crying to be evacuated to a safer place. The village is located in Manjhand Union Council and at least 10-kilometre away from the main road. All its land routes are submerged in water. “All my family members came out of the home as we feared that it may be collapsed with water everywhere,” she told a boatman who was rendering the rescue efforts.
These people misperceived the river stream as safe, however the floodwater has now deluged the wide areas, towns and main villages. Flood emergency cell at Kotri Barrage on Friday recorded the water inflows at 454,666 cusecs and the outflows at 431,511 cusecs. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority claimed to have so far evacuated 625,641 persons and 486,055 animals from the entire catchment area of 2.2 million acres spreading from Kashmore to Thatta districts. Mangi Ladho Zardari, another resident of the Sono Khan Zardari village, said at least 60 houses, out of 250 houses, have been collapsed and the rest of them may soon be damaged because of the water eroding their muddy walls.
Resident Mithal Zardari said: “We have brought out only women and children to local school building and all males are struggling to arrange boats to shift these people to the roadsides. All the routes have been disconnected due to the floodwater”. Fishermen

community leader Amjad Mallah in Amri claimed that they had mobilised fishing boats to rescue the stranded people.
Mallah said the flood forced at least 70 percent of the total 450 families in Amri town to move to safer abodes. The remaining is fearful of rising water level, he added.
Juman Mallah, representing Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum in Jamshoro district, said they have engaged almost all the fishing boats in the rescue efforts. Mullah said there is no government official seen to help the people.
Hundreds of the displaced families can be seen staying in the open along the roadsides, railway tracks and embankments of the drains. Some frightened people, along with their livestock, climbed on the mountainous terrains.