DADU: Another 40 villages in riverine area came under water on Thursday after further rise in Indus River, cutting off the settlements from nearby towns of Dadu and Sehwan.

Residents of Khaki, Khan Mohammad Khushik, Jan Mohammad Khushik, Saindad Ja Bhan, Mureed Shahani, Dano Chandio, Mahi Otho, Dureedero, Nau Wahan, Bilawalpur, Hashim Bughio and Malook Panhwar and other villages hired boats to rescue their marooned families and cattle as floodwaters caused a number of mudthatched houses to collapse.

Imam Ali, a resident of Mahi Otho village, told Dawn that their village was surrounded by floodwaters while the only path leading to main highway was also submerged in water. No help had so far reached the marooned village, he said, adding if they were not rescued, serious human disaster could take place.

Khan Mohammad Halepoto of Dureedero village said that despite flooding i n the village, no official of the district administration had reached to rescue stranded villagers and their cattle. He appealed to Sindh chief minister to take notice of the official negligence and send rescue teams to their village and other nearby villages in Sehwan taluka to provide them relief.

Mahesh Kumar, engineer of irrigation department, said that the teams of the department had been deployed in 20 places along Larkana-Sehwan dyke in Sehwan to protect villages situated above the riverine area.

He claimed that the dyke faced no serious threat from rising floodwaters at any place and should there be any danger they had made all preparations to cope with it.

Executive engineer of irrigation department Khushi Mohammad Shaikh said that the dyke was safe and patrolling was under way along the embankment. The floodwaters had caused erosion at four places in the area falling within Dadu but it did not pose any serious threat, he said.

Assistant Commissioner Nazeer Ahmed Soomro also visited the dyke in Sial village and directed officials concerned to store flood-fighting material at vulnerable points along the dyke.