LARKANA: We are going through a very difficult current flood and rain water situation as the whole of Sindh is flooded, due to which 23 districts of Sindh have suffered the most damage and have been declared as calamity-hit districts. Due to the rains, there is nothing left in Qamber-Shahdadkot and other districts.

This was stated by provincial local bodies and public health engineering departments minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah while addressing media persons at Larkana press club Saturday along with MPA Suhail Siyal and Jameel Soomro.

He said they visited Larkana and Qamber-Shahdadkot today and were trying to rescue trapped people and provide them relief. He said that due to the rains, the government infrastructure had been destroyed in many places, many houses had collapsed, so far we had given 127,000 tents and more help was needed and we had also ordered more tents.

He said the highest rainfall in Sindh had been received in Padidan and Naushehro Feroze, which was 700% more, with which Sindh’s agriculture was in danger. He said that compensation will be given to those whose houses have been damaged due to rains and in the meeting held by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, foreign countries have asked for help because the most damage has been done in Sindh and currently one crore people have been affected.

Shah said that the conditions are very bad, maybe there is food available somewhere, there is a need where the officials are negligent, action has been taken, but the current situation is not due to carelessness and incompetence, this is a natural disaster. He said that it is better to criticize the Sindh government, but you must have seen our people. He said that the Chief Minister has appointed the focal person, MNA and MPA and the Chief Minister has stopped the budget of all the development works which will be spent for the victims, so we cannot pay the loss of the victims immediately. We will also fix those whose homes are broken, Shah added.

He said that after the rains, now people have to plant wheat crops and if the water remains stagnant, there will be a problem of food crises, which is why Asif Ali Zardari has asked the federal government to increase wheat price from Rs3000 to 4000 per 40 kg. He said that there is no danger of any kind to Aqil Agani Bund and all the embankments are strong. Similar things come on social media which spreads fear among people, so people should not pay attention to such rumours. He said that more than 6 lakh cusecs of water is passing through the Guddu barrage now, which is not dangerous. This kind of situation cannot even be controlled by the United States and other countries and things are out of their control, Shah said.

He said that the conditions are bad as the crops are destroyed, but earlier there was an incompetent PTI government. He said that Imran Khan said that he will commit suicide but will not take loans from IMF, but he signed tougher terms and conditions with the IMF, which we are all suffering because they knew that they are going through no confidence and they did it.

On that occasion, MPA Sohail Anwar Siyal said that the rural areas of Larkana had been damaged due to the water of Qamber Shahdadkot, Dadu. Even today, heavy water is flowing, which will reach the watershed in 5 days, after which the situation will improve.

He said that 56 people had been rescued from Qamber-Shahdadkot by helicopter and now there was a dire need of tents which was beyond the power of the government. Jameel Ahmed Soomro said that the rain-water was drained and came on the roads and the gutters were getting shallow, the water filled in the pits was also going into the houses but nobody asked them as to why sewerage drains were not cleaned despite the weather alert.