Man-made breaches at LBOD make 70,000 people homeless

SUKKUR: Prone to multiple facets of natural disasters, district Tharparkar was hit by yet another calamity, as man-made breaches were formed in the dykes of the Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) that rendered at least 70,000 people severely affected and homeless.

The displaced families have been living in a tent community to save their lives. The LBOD, which went through various parts of district Tharparkar, appeared with man-made breaches resulting in flash floods in the residential areas, causing displacement of thousands of families from the Barrage region of the district Tharparkar and other adjacent districts. The flash flooding had also damaged thousands of acres of standing crops, causing losses of billions of rupees in three union councils, including Bhaitaro, Phant and Moran of district Tharparkar.

Sindh Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Antiquities Syed Sardar Ali Shah said the administration had faced serious difficulties in procuring relief materials from Karachi markets that were also hit during the recent rains. He said dozens of villages in district Tharparkar were inundated, thousands of homes and standing crops were damaged due to a breach in the LBOD drain at RD-281 near Naukot town.

The provincial minister said they had already started relief work in the district, providing food, tents, and ration packages to the displaced families with the support of various government and private organisations. He said thousands of displaced families from the adjacent districts, including Mirpurkhas, Umarkot, and Badin, were staying at the sand dunes and other open areas to save their lives.