KOTRI/KARACHI Ten more villages submerged by floodwaters near Kotri as an exceptionally high flood of 8,91,000 cusecs, more than the capacity of the barrage, was passing through the Kotri Barrage on Monday, posing threats to Hyderabad, while District Thatta was getting ready to brace the super flood. The water regulator, designed to discharge 875,000 cusecs, had been closed for traffic after village Gul Baig Chandio, located in the downstream, was marooned in the afternoon after which administration started evacuating the people from their homes. A breach also occurred near Khair Mohammad Rajar Goth near Kotri upstream, which submerged the riverbed area. A flood relief camp established at Mono Technical College Hyderabad was closed after floodwater entered into the premises. Local volunteers have started relief work on self-help basis in Latifabad and other parts of the city. The dykes are being strengthened while cuts were made in the embankments at Khanpur and Al-Manzar to save Hyderabad, resulting in inundation of Khanpur. Swelling river water was posing grave threat to the protective embankment of Hyderabad. The residents of Sehrish Nagar and Latifabad have been evacuating to safer places. The flood affectees were housed at government school buildings and Labour Department flats due to congested central relief camp. And in Thatta, the violent Indus water after overflowing through the right bank and inundating the major small towns and dozens of villages and settlements within the katcha area, was now gushing towards the Indus Highway and Keenjhar Lake, as a breach occurred the Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD). Chief Secretary Sindh Fazal-ul-Rehman and DCO Thatta Manzoor Ali Shaikh visited the site of the breach at Raju Nizamani, as the floodwaters were gushing towards the small settlements. They also inspected the site near Keenjhar Lake and along the KB Feeder Lower, adjacent to the National Highway, where the water was rising fast while people were busy in dumping the gunny bags filled with sand and erecting wooden structures to contain the water from inundating the National Highway and striking the Keenjhar Lake embankment. Dozens of families were found taking refuge on the protective duke along the National Highway sitting in open sky. The water struck Sonda Hilaya Bund at various sites and near Ali Behar and Keenjhar embankments of RBOD. The water was also building pressure near Aghimani where the Surjani Protective Dyke, which had developed an 800 feet wide breach on August 17, 1988. At RD 17 of Kot Aalimo, water started seeping through the dyke, creating havoc in the area. Pressure was also building at Surjani and Monarki dykes, located on both sides of the river in District Thatta. Hundreds of locals on Monday were busy in reinforcing the two embankments, after the authorities declared them sensitive. It is feared that any breach would cause destruction in the area. It is pertinent to note that Thatta is experiencing the first super flood in 150 years. Although people started leaving their homes from various towns and villages for Karachi, a majority of them are still undecided what to do and where to go. Only the rich are leaving their abodes and travelling to Karachi. Those having no relatives in the big cities are reluctant to leave, said Sami Memon, spokesman for Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), in a statement. Therefore, he said, the people without any option from nearby towns of Thatta were reaching the protective dykes to help in case of an emergency. Besides, at least 25,000 people, including families, had taken shelter at the embankments amid hot and humid weather, he added. The PFF spokesman said it was a responsibility of the govt to take measures, especially in the vacated areas, to protect he properties of the people. As no preparations had been made on govt or personal level, people are facing shortage of food and potable water, as they have shifted, leaving everything behind just to ensure their safety. The PFF is operating 52 fishing boats in the district and has shifted at least 15,000 people from different riverbed areas while the operation is still going on. It has also distributed food and non-food items among 1,000 families in Thatta district. Sami Memon while giving further updates said all the people from Tando Hafiz Shah town and the adjoining villages had been rescued but a fisherman Arab in Rajo Nizamani village died when the roof of his house caved in while he was busy in shifting household valuables. The PFF teams were searching the whole area to rescue the remaining people, if any, besides the bodies, he added. The spokesman said the water level in Manchhar Lake, receiving water from MNV Drain, had crossed 11ft on Sunday evening. It has not been declared Red Zone yet but after reaching the 15ft mark, the people would be warned to relocate to the safer places, he said. 18ft would be a very dangerous level, he warned, because the River Indus was already in a super flood, and in case of any emergency, the additional water would have to be released into the river, as there was no other alternative. The statement says the overflowing Manchhar Lake would prove disastrous for the area.