KHAIRPUR: More than 10 houses and acres of agricultural land were submerged when a 20-foot breach in the right bank of Faiz Bukhsh/ Mohabbat Wah irrigation channel, fed through theMirwah canal, caused flooding in several villages near Mithrri on Thursday.

Khairpur east division executive engineer Ayaz Soomro told Dawn that the National Highway Authority had carried out digging for a bridge near the breach site and then changed the location of theproject. The improper filling of the dug up area resulted in the breach, he added.

Khairpur Deputy Commissioner Munawwar Mithiani, however, speaking to the media after visiting the breach site attributed the breach and flooding to inefficiency of the irrigation department.