Water level at Kotri Barrage crosses 900,000 cusecs

Several villages in Hyderabad are inundated as Kotri Barrage braces for the worst flood in 50 years. The super flood passing through Kotri will take at least six days to subside.

The provincial government is monitoring the situation at dykes as the water pressure builds up. More than 900,000 cusecs of water is likely to pass through the barrage.

Irrigation experts said that the current flood torrent has broken the record of the 1976 floods.

Meanwhile flood water has entered parts of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) building in Hyderabad. Water has already caused devastation in Ghauspur, Thul, Jacobabad, Garhi Khairu and other adjoining areas.

Water pressure at Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) III has been reduced by making breaches at three points and efforts are underway to keep the safety dyke in ShahdadKot intact.

Flood torrents from Garhi Khairu and Balochistan have reached Hamal Lake. For the past ten days, transport of food items between Sindh and Balochistan are at a halt due to suspension of the road link between the two provinces.

BU declares degrees of two parliamentarians as fake

Balochistan University declared the degrees of Deputy Speaker Balochistan Assembly Syed Matiullah Agha and FATA MNA Jawad Hussain as fake on Monday.

The Higher Education Commission had sent 58 degrees of parliamentarians to the university for authentication.

Earlier in the day Karachi University (KU) completed the verification of 106 degrees of parliamentarians on Monday, where it was revealed that three degrees could not be verified.

Pro-vice chancellor of KU confirmed that three degrees, including those of Yaqoob Bazinjo and Jamil Malik could not be verified. The chancellor added that the degree of Senator Faisal Raza Abidi was not sent to the university to be verified.

Cyclone Phet moves past Karachi, hits Thatta

KARACHI: According to Met Department the Cyclone Phet has moved past Karachi without hitting the coast and now passing along the coastal line of Thatta.

More rains are also expected in Karachi, Met Office said.

Moreover cycle control center said that Coastal belt will experience heavy rainfall within 24 hours.

Earlier Director General of Meteorological Department Qamaruz Zaman Chaudhry said Cyclone Phet had hit south of Karachi on Sunday evening. The intensity of the cyclone was category one and the costal areas of Thatta and Karachi were the center of the cyclone.

Zaman said the cyclone would cause 3 to 5-meter high waves in Thatta’s coastal areas, while 2 to 4-meter high waves were expected in Karachi’s coastal areas. According to Met Department, more downpours were expected during the next 36 to 48 hours.

Sindh, Balochistan face cyclone threat

A red flag warning Danger has been hoisted by the Pakistani Navy. A sea storm in the Arabian Sea and According to Cyclone alert-2, the tropical cyclone, located some 1100 kilometers south-southwest of Karachi is expected to move initially in a north-westerly direction in the next 24 hours. After that it is expected to re-curve in northeasterly direction towards Indian Gujrat and Sindh coast. –Online Photo/S A Siddiqi

KARACHI: As tropical cyclone Phet travels northwards towards Sindh’s coastal areas and is expected to hit them on Friday waves in the sea have already started swelling and rains were reported in some parts of the interior of the province on Wednesday.

Dr Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, director general of the Meteorological Department, said that Phet would hit the Omani coast on Thursday morning. It was expected to re-curve towards Sindh coastal areas, including Karachi, on Thursday afternoon and hit them on Friday afternoon.

Provinces receive Rs439b from Centre in July-March

ISLAMABAD: The Center transferred Rs439 billion from the federal divisible pool to provinces during July-March 2009-10, which is more than two-thirds of total allocation.

Punjab being the most populated province was the largest recipient as it got Rs224 billion, according to official documents.

Punjab’s total share in the divisible pool is Rs334.4 billion under the Distribution of Revenue and Grant-in-Aid Amendment Order of 2006.

The resources are being distributed among the provinces solely on the basis of population. However, distribution from the next financial year

Balochistan facing 150 MW of power shortage

QUETTA: Balochistan is facing 150 megawatts of power shortage after four transmission lines tripped due to some technical fault in the province.

QESCO sources said four transmission lines of 220 and 232 KVs were tripped suspending power supply to Quetta and other adjacent areas from 42 grid stations.

Power supply to some of the areas has been restored after repairing of three transmission lines while the work on 220 KVs trasmission line stretching betwen Quetta and Sibi is underway.

Govt efforts won’t heal Baloch wounds

QUETTA: Jamaat-e-Islami’s central secretary- general Liaquat Baloch has said that the people of Balochistan are not satisfied with the package announced by the government to remove the sense of deprivation among the Baloch people.

He was referring to the Aghaze- Haquq-e-Balochistan package the PPP-led government announced recently in a bid to woo disgruntled Baloch nationalists. Addressing an election convention of the Jamaat-e-Islami on Wednesday, Baloch said the central government must ensure equitable and transparent distribution of resources among the provinces to do away with decades of disenchantment among local populations. “This is the only way out of the present mess,” he added.

Teachers in Balochistan fearful of being targeted

QUETTA: “After the target killing of Nazima Talib, a University of Balochistan professor, we are all living in fear,” a senior teacher said while speaking to The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity. “Teachers have restricted their activities and avoid attending events.”

At the university, teachers and most officials were unwilling to speak to the media or discuss the issue of the targeting of teachers.

Yet, the fear among the academic community is so strong that many teachers have requested transfers to other provinces.