Sindh awaits help from federal govt: Sharjeel

HYDERABAD: Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has said that the entire country was in a state of emergency but Sindh was badly affected where 601 people had died. The minister announced that while they were looking at the federal government for assistance, but the expected help from the Centre has not been received. The federal government however has distributed Rs 25,000 to the flood victims under the Benazir Income Support Programme.

While addressing a press conference at Shahbaz Hall, Shahbaz Building on Wednesday, the provincial information minister gave a break up of division-wise casualties and losses. Memon said there were 195 deaths in Larkana Division, 137 in Hyderabad Division, 95 in Shaheed Benazirabad Division 62 in Karachi Division and 18 people died in Mirpurkhas Division. Giving the statistics of losses, he said that 11,558 people were injured and 47,072 cattle were killed, while 1,195,123 houses were partially damaged and 582,618 houses were destroyed. Standing crops on 44,28,421 acres were destroyed, he said and added there was so much water in farmland that the Rabi crop might not be cultivated. He said the cotton crop was destroyed along with vegetables and expressed the fear the scenario is likely to raise food inflation.

Regarding the flood situation at the barrages, Sharjeel Memon said Kotri was in high flood, Sukkur in low flood and Guddu was flowing at a normal level. He said following breaches around Manchhar Lake the threatening water level has dropped from 123.5 RL to 122.3 RL. Despite the improvement in the water level, the minister said the inflows into the Manchar Lake have not stopped and there are forecasts of more rains. To a question, he said neither the Chief Minister of Sindh nor any MPA would decide about breach in the Manchhar Lake or any of its canals and if there was a need it would be exclusively decided by irrigation experts. The minister said in about four days water from Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Naushehroferoz, Matiari and Saeedabad would recede.

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said the provincial government was looking towards the federal government for assistance, but the expected help from the Centre has not been received so far. The federal government however has distributed Rs 25,000 to the flood victims under the Benazir Income Support Programme, he said.

Regarding Hyderbad, Shrarjeel Memon said water from 30 Union Councils of Hyderabad Taluka Rural was timely drained and claimed that the return of the villagers has started. He said that the people of Hyderabad and Karachi should take precautionary measures against dengue which was emerging as a serious threat due to stagnant rain and flood water. He said the fumigation has been resorted to in all the union councils as a precautionary measure.