Aware of the extreme situations faced by the whole country, Chief Minister of Sindh, Murad Ali Shah explained the decision of opening a bank of Manchar Lake in order to control the flood from affecting the areas like Sehwan and Saedabad.
Manchar Lake:
He told in the press conference that this step was taken after being assured of the windy atmosphere on Saturday which could definitely cause flood waves to move much faster.
Muraad Ali Shah further said that there were main five territories that could be affected if the bank of Manchar lake was not opened!
These were; Bubak, Jaffarabad, Talti, Channa, and Arazi. He also mentioned that there was a clear danger of washing out the whole Sehwan and Bhan Saedabad if the water was not controlled by making a cut in the bank of Manchar Lake.
Therefore, when an overflowing lake was seen near Bubak, then the cut was made immediately to prevent further damage.
It was also told in the press that there are almost 300,000 people living in Sehwan currently. Whereas if we talk about those five territories, their population combines a ratio of almost 125,000. Out of which about 60,000 people had already moved before Sunday ended.
Moreover, Murad Ali Shah addresses the conference in a very concerned way while saying that he is also affected by the disastrous situations caused by the floods.
Because his own village, Wahar was also now about to face the overflowing water very soon. While talking about his own village, he also added that the place where his father and the last chief minister were born, Bajara was brutally affected by the flood.
However, he condemned the statement that due to Main Nara Valley, Manchar Lake was filled and affected by the flood.
Furthermore, it was known that people who left their homes and walked away took help in the areas of Kotri and Jamshoro, which were at a distance of about 160 kilometers from the affected areas.
The Deputy Commissioner of Jamshoro (retired) also quoted that they had already taken some measures to help the people affected due to the flood. Because it was a predictable danger that helped them to make the arrangements early.
The Sindh Government Officials said this was the most “Difficult Decision” to cut the lake’s bank in order to save thousands of lives in Sehwan and Bhan Saedabad.
It was also informed that the water level was increasing dramatically which persuaded them to take emergency measures at once! Initially noted water level on Sunday was about 121 feet in the lake which increased up to a dangerous ratio of 123 feet. The cut in Manchar Lake reduced the pressure of flood by almost 30%.
It was also reported that Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro urged upon the importance of this cut made in the Manchar Lake.
He said that this was extremely necessary otherwise the whole five territories of Jamshoro could be washed away. He further said that he had already
discussed with the official authorities to control the water at Sukkur and Guddu Barrage so that Manchar’s flow could be helped by the River Indus.
It also came to know that as a result of the persuasion by civil administrations, Pakistan Army took steps in order to repair and work on the weak boundaries of Manchar Lake. this will hopefully prevent it from further damage!
