The rain-hit people of taluka Sakrand of Shaheed Benazirabad district have requested President Asif Ali Zardari to issue directives to the local administration to drain out rainwater from the affected areas. They said that despite the passage of seven months, rainwater was still standing in their village and the local authorities were not taking the issue seriously. The accumulated water, they added has resulted in food crisis besides affecting health of the villagers.
They expressed these views while briefing the visiting journalists from print and electronic media on Tuesday. The journalists' delegation was led by Fida Hussain Chandio, President of Shaheed Benazirabad Press Club. The visit was facilitated by Participatory Development Initiatives and Peoples Accountability Commission on Floods.
An elderly woman, Gul Naz Khaskehli of village Mir Khan Leghari said that despite repeated visits by the high ups, the matter still remained the same, as the local administration was not taking any measures to pump out the rainwater. Narrating her story, Gul Naz said she lost her livestock and other means of livelihood due to worst rains and was not able to cultivate crops as the water was still standing in her land.
She further said that she got land on a contract and cultivated Banana but the orchard was badly damaged by rainwater. She alleged that the local administration was pumping out rainwater from lands of the influentials and poor farmers were being neglected.
Khalid Khaskehli, another rain victim, told journalists that few families in his village got the first instalment of Pakistan Card and the rest were still awaiting government assistance. The rain victims said they wanted to convey their message to President Zardari that the local administration be directed to drain out rainwater from their village as early as possible.-PR