Dyke breaches during floods: irrigation secretaries to brief Flood Commission today

The four provincial Irrigation secretaries will brief the flood commission- a body constituted by the Supreme Court to probe into the alleged breach of dykes during the devastating floods last year, here today (Saturday). In its last meeting, the commission had sought a detailed briefing from chairmen NDMA and Federal Flood Commission (FFC), about unauthorised diversion of floodwater through breaches in the embankments of barrages and canals by influential people during the floods.
The first meeting of the commission was held at the Supreme Court building here on last Saturday in which the members elected Azam Khan, a member from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as chairman of the commission. The other members of the Commission including Fateh Khan Khajjak from Balochistan, A. W. Kazi (Sindh) and Khawaja Zaheer Ahmad from Punjab attended the meeting. It is expected that after these initial briefings, the commission will initiate day-to-day hearing of all relevant individuals and institutions. The commission will visit the provinces and inspect the affected areas before finalising its report.
The apex court had taken suo motu notice of the breaches on the letters of Deputy Chairman of Senate Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali and Fakhruddin G Ibrahim, senior advocate Supreme Court, while PML-Q MNA Marvi Memon and Zahida Thebo Mehar filed petitions in this regard.