ISLAMABAD, 31 August 2003 — Mismanagement and lack of coordination among irrigation and planning departments have been blamed for devastating flash floods in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province last month that killed at least 133 people and rendered thousands of others homeless.
An inquiry ordered by Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali accused the two departments of failing to make full use of the Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) project that was completed in 1997 — except for a small portion that had now been constructed — to prevent flash-flooding.
The downpour in the province this year was the worst in a decade, affecting over 800,000 people and damaging thousands of houses. Over 3,000 villages in Badin, Thathaa, Tharparkar, Dadu and other districts were marooned by flood waters, caused by week-long rains that badly hit certain parts of the province in late July.
Construction of LBOD helped minimize losses but mismanagement in the upper reaches of LBOD caused the loss of life and property, the English language daily “Dawn” said while quoting the inquiry report submitted to the prime minister.
The authorities failed to take timely action against the “relief cuts” the local people had made in the upper embankments of the LBOD to draw more inflow for their water-starved crops.
