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Indus River Continues To Submerges Jaffarabad, Shikarpur
 As the Indus River remained in exceptionally high-flood situation, Jaffarabad, Sajawal and more villages in Shikarpur district were indundated on Thursday due to breaches in protective embankments and canals.After a wide breach in Tori embankment along the Indus River and breaches at three points in Begari Canal, over 80,000 cusecs of water entered Jaffarabad district, inundating the area into 10 to 12 feet of water. On Thursday, hundreds of thousands of people were stranded in Rojhan Jamali, Sohbatpur and Usta Muhammad. The latest flood has also inundated Sohbatpur after submerging Hairdin, Manjhipur, Mew Khan and Daulatpur. Floodwater also surrounds Usta Muhammad on three sides, while the outskirts of the town have already come under water. The 132KV grid station of Sohbatpur is also inundated. According to Balochistan Chief Secretary Mir Ahmed Bukhsh Lehri, the flash floods have washed away 2,584 villages in Balochistan. He said that millions of the flood-affected people immediately needed clean drinking water, cooked food, medicines, tents, anti-snake venom and pots for cooking food. Balochistan Minister Rahila Durrani said that over 200,000 flood survivors had reached Quetta and they had been facing a severe shortage of cooked food and drinking water. Dr Uwais, who works at the medical camp set up on Jan Muhammad Road Quetta, said that many of the flood victims were suffering from cholera, gastroenteritis and skin diseases. He appealed to philanthropists to provide medicines at medical camps set up for the flood victims. In Sohbatpur, three girls died of cholera, while 11 children died of gastroenteritis in Dera Murad Jamali, Sibi, Pashin and Awaran. Gangs of thieves have been looting evacuated houses and shops of flood victims the affected areas. Two more breaches that appeared in Khirthar Canal and Saifullah Magsi Canal inundated Garhi Kheru tehsil located in Jacobabad. Posted by: Fred 2010-08-20 |
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