Massive floods across Pakistan | Thousands Killed

[Trisonics]

This is so sad why can't the south Asian countries have a disaster relief policy where they can help each other out during such calamities. Money, food, relief, medicines, equipment must be shared during such crisis.

 

[Hyde]

i think this should have been posted in its dedicated thread of "Flood in Pakistan 1000+ peoples dead" something like that.

UK has also given $10m in aid

==============

US pledges $10m in aid for flood-hit areas
Updated at: 2234 PST, Sunday, August 01, 2010
US pledges $10m in aid for flood-hit areas ISLAMABAD: The United States is rushing helicopters, boats, bridges, water units and other supplies to flood-hit Pakistan as part of an initial 10 million dollars aid pledge.

"The Pakistani people are friends and partners, and the United States is standing with them as the tragic human toll mounts from flooding in northwest Pakistan," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement on Sunday.

More than 1100 people have been killed by monsoon rains, flash floods and landslides in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and at least another 47 have died in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, officials say.

More than 1.5 million people have been affected, with thousands of homes and vast areas of farmland destroyed in a region of Pakistan reeling from years of extremist bloodshed.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost loved ones or have been displaced from their homes -- and we are taking action to help," said Clinton. "Our embassy in Islamabad is coordinating closely with Pakistani authorities to support rescue and relief efforts.

"And we will work closely with the government of Pakistan to ensure aid reaches those people who need it most. I have seen first-hand the strength and resilience of the Pakistani people and I know they will come through this tragedy with determination and compassion."

Source: US pledges $10m in aid for flood-hit areas - GEO.tv

 

[Solomon2]

General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief of Army Staff talking with stranded people during visit to flood affected areas of KPK.

Any other political types saying or doing anything useful while Zardari is busy touring Paris? Nawaz? Mushy?

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Any other political types saying or doing anything useful while Zardari is busy touring Paris? Nawaz? Mushy?

Usual blame game!

 

[Ras]

Because India.. like all wonderful neighbors, tends to be as helpful as possible.. blocking water in drought conditions so that crops rot and releasing it when our canals are already full so that maximum destruction is caused.

Perhaps India needs to release water to prevent floods in her own area.
The answer is dams on the Pakistani side which can control the water regardless of what India does upstream.

 

[sparklingway]

PM sets up flood relief fund​

Monday, August 02, 2010

Ready to talk to all Baloch leaders; asks party leaders to get ready for reopening of ZAB murder case​

By Faizan Bangash

LAHORE: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday announced setting up of a Flood Relief Fund and directed the federal cabinet members to donate one month’s salary to it.

He also directed all federal government officers in Grade-17 to donate one-day salary for the flood victims. He asked the federal ministers to visit the flood-hit areas.Addressing a gathering of party leaders from five districts of Lahore division at the Governor’s House here on Sunday, Gilani focussed on Balochistan issues, floods and the reconciliation process among political parties.

The prime minister showed his willingness to hold a dialogue with the Baloch leaders living in exile, and also advised the party leaders to form a team of lawyers to reopen the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) murder case in the Supreme Court.

The meeting that continued for over two hours turned into an open court of the party workers, who kept complaining against the Pakistan Muslim League’s attitude towards the PPP and apathy of the federal government officials. The PM, however, urged the party activists to pay attention to relief activities in the flood-hit areas and set up camps for sending relief items to the affected people.

Responding to a complaint made by PPP Punjab Acting President Samiullah Khan, the PM assured him strict action would be taken against inefficient officials working in the federal government departments. Sources said Sami had complained about Lesco, Sui Gas and Railways officials for their cold response to the party Jialas.

About lack of development works in Lahore districts by the PML-N led provincial government, the PM asked the members to provide him details of development schemes after consulting the local organisations and MPs.

The PM said the Hepatitis programme under his supervision was being implemented across the country and doctors in the party must help the government make an effective strategy in this regard.

The party activists asked Prime Minister Gilani to pay special attention to making the party stronger in the Punjab. The PM, however, said strengthening the Federation and all other institutions was necessary. He said the PPP was the largest political party of Pakistan, having firm roots in all the units of the federation. He directed Minister for Interior Rehman Malik to hold thorough investigation into the murder case of Benazir Bhutto and make the report public.

The meeting was attended by PPP General Secretary Senator Jehangir Badar, Governor Salmaan Taseer, Senior Minister Raja Riaz, and various other party leaders.

APP adds: A resolution was unanimously passed in the consultative meeting of the Organisation of Pakistan People’s Party, Lahore division, reposing full confidence in the leadership of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Meanwhile, the prime minister, while talking to Ms Carmilla Conroy, the US Consul General in Lahore, who made a courtesy call on the prime minister here at the Governor’s House, said that people-to-people contacts and exchange of parliamentary delegations could further strengthen the long-term strategic relations between the US and Pakistan.These contacts, he added, supplement and strengthen the basis for high level visits and promote a better understanding of each other’s point of view.

The prime minister said that Pakistan, as a frontline state against terrorism, had made huge sacrifices in terms of human life and economy. “The action taken by Pakistan against the militants and terrorists in border areas and elsewhere have to be supplemented by development work, educational facilities and economic opportunities. Delay in this regard will lead to poverty and illiteracy, which are major causes of extremism,” he added.

US Consul General Ms Carmilla Conroy thanked the prime minister for meeting her despite his busy schedule. She briefed the prime minister on the functioning of the US Consulate in Lahore and recent expansion of the trade section. She said she had observed that despite challenges, the political and economic situation in Pakistan was improving. She also mentioned that during her visit to different areas, she had seen a lot of development taking place.

 

[sparklingway]

Troops move in as flood threat looms in Sindh​

Monday, August 02, 2010

By Imtiaz Ali

Karachi: The Sindh government has imposed Section 144 to “forcibly” evacuate people from the Katcha areas, while troops have been deployed in the vulnerable areas on Sunday morning as the flood rescue operation comes into full swing. The Managing Director of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Mohammed Salih Farooqui, told The News on Sunday that Section 144 had been imposed to ensure that the people complied with the evacuation orders. He said the government would ensure 100 per cent evacuation. To a question, he said the flood was likely to affect over 200,000 people in upper Sindh. Farooqui said that 80 villages in Larkana and 20 to 22 in Sukkur, Kashmore, Ghotki and Shikarpur were likely to be affected. He said children, women and elders were being shifted to safer places but some youngsters were showing reluctance in moving out.

This is because the people are not moving from the high-risk areas:-

The water’s moving, but not these people​

KARACHI: Villagers in Sukkur and Khairpur districts have refused to move in to camps set up by the administration as flooding is expected in these two districts.

“It is expected that flooding is likely to cause damage three Khairpur tehsils,” said Zahoor Solangi, from Kotpul, tehsil Kingri. “The condition of the canals is worrying as otherwise [when the water is at normal levels] breaches develop.” He felt that the irrigation department should have realised this earlier.

A villager from Faiz Mohammad Bindo, Yaqoob Narejo, told The Express Tribune that the entire village was on high alert but people were just not willing to leave their homes and livestock. “Where would we go because the administration hasn’t given us shelter?” he said. “What is going to happen to our livestock? We fear the cattle will not survive the flood.”

The main canals from Sukkur connecting to Khairpur’s tehsils Kingri, Khairpur and Gambat are at more risk. The canals running as a main artery to agricutural land in these areas are Faiz Wah, Rohri Canal, Abul Wah and Mir Wah. Nara canal is closed these days but if the water flow increases there would be major destruction. “There have been several breaches in the Nara canal in the last six months,” revealed Mohammad Ibrahim Katohar. “Now if the irrigation department plans to open it [to ease divert the floodwaters] then no one will survive.”

Shaukat Seelro of Waris Gambhir village in union council Meher Veesar was wondering why nothing had been done to evacuate people. According to him, several villages, from Sukkur to Shal Dhani, Piryalo in Khairpur and connecting the two rivers in the remote areas of Khairpur, were at risk. Part of his worry was based on the fact that the Faiz Wah bank had just developed a breach recently. The irrigation engineer had been informed but only temporary measures were taken. “If this is the situation of the banks, then only God can help us,” he said. “People here were not bothered by the floods. They were sitting at the hotels chatting with each other.”

This fear is echoed by the experts. One irrigation contractor told The Express Tribune that the condition of the canals was so bad that in a single month there had been two major breaches, one of them in Thari Mir Wah. He held elected representatives and government functionaries responsible as they had been eliminating trees from the banks of the canals. “This is also going to be one big factor if the canals overflow because trees provide protection,” he said. He claimed that 300,000 cusecs had passed on Sunday alone and Sukkur, Khairpur and Naushero Feroze will be badly hit.

Growers in Gambat are nervous too. “I have personally requested villagers and people from my contituency to move to safer areas and cooperate with the administration,” said MPA Naeem Kharal from Gambat. “The response I received was negative as people complained that the entire village cannot be accomodated in one governement school building with four rooms.”

Even he pointed out a recent breach in the Abul Wah canal for which hundreds of villagers had to be evacuated. The administration wasn’t able to manage then. “Now we are talking about hundred and thousands of people,” he said.

For its part, the administration has declared four bunds or gateways sensitive – Razi Dero, Ripri, Pulra Jageer and Fareedabad.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 2nd, 2010.

 

[sparklingway]

Diseases break out as flood toll mounts to 1,400​

Monday, August 02, 2010

ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: The death toll from the country’s worst floods in living memory topped 1,400 on Sunday, as outbreak of water-borne disease emerged and penniless survivors sought refuge from the raging ********.

“The floods have killed more than 1,100 people in different parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and affected over 1.5 million,” Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Information Minister for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told AFP.

“This is the worst flood in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the country’s history,” said the minister. “At least 713 people died in Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda while the death toll in Shangla and Swat districts is over 300,” he added.

A senior official at the provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) confirmed the toll. Massive devastation has been reported in Swat and Shangla, where link bridges and thousands of houses were washed away.

Eleven members of the same family were killed when the roof of their houses collapsed in Kabal area of Dardial. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been the worst hit in the recent flooding, as 90 highways were damaged, 58 big thoroughfares were closed for traffic, while 104 people are still unaccounted for.

Hundreds of survivors sought shelter in schools in Peshawar and in Muzaffarabad after escaping the floods with children on their backs. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has waived all provincial taxes, the Punjab lifted agricultural tax and Balochistan announced to write off all agri-loans, private news channel reported on Sunday.

Similar devastation triggered by driving rains and subsequent flooding, is in full swing in the Punjab, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, where 494 people were killed, raising the overall death toll in the country.

China, which has also been hit by severe flooding, announced a 10 million yuan (1.5 million dollar) donation, according to the official Xinhua news agency, which cited a government website.

More than 300 people hit by floods rallied in Peshawar on Sunday, chanting slogans against the provincial government for not providing them with adequate shelter, an AFP reporter witnessed.

“I had built a two-room house on the outskirts of Peshawar with my hard-earned money but I lost it in the floods,” said 53-year-old labourer Ejaz Khan, who joined the rally. “The government is not helping us... the school building where I sheltered is packed with people, with no adequate arrangement for food and medicine,” Khan told AFP.

Waseyullah, 33, said his two brothers had worked as labourers in Saudi Arabia for the money with which he had built the small furniture factory he lost in the floods. “I expect the provincial government to help me financially to rebuild this factory,” he added.

More than 3,700 houses have been swept away by the floods in the country and the number of people made homeless is rising, said the KP information minister. “Our rescue teams are also trying to extricate some 1,500 tourists who are stranded in the Kalam and Behrain towns of Swat district,” he said.

“We are also getting confirmation of reports about an outbreak of cholera in some areas of Swat,” Hussain added. The Army said it had sent boats and helicopters to rescue the stranded people and its engineers were trying to open more roads and divert swollen rivers.In Azad Kashmir, officials said Army helicopters had been urgently requested in the worst-hit Neelam valley.

“It has been cut off from the rest of Kashmir and we still don’t know how many people were killed, injured and displaced there,” State Disaster Management Authority chief Farooq Niaz said.

Manuel Bessler, head of the UN’s Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Assistance in Pakistan, said communications had broken down in areas across the northwest. “We have a planning figure of one million people affected directly by the floods,” he told the BBC.

However, authorities said they had repaired a damaged portion of the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway to restore the northwest region’s road links with the rest of Pakistan. Disastrous flash floods trigged by torrential rains also badly affected over 0.2 million people in Barkhan, Kohlu, Sibi and Naseerabad districts.

On Sunday, relief activities continued in affected areas, however, there is a dire need to take relief steps on war footing basis. Minister for Sports Mir Shahnawaz Marri has revealed that 10 villages of Kohlu had been completely washed away by flash floods, while 29 others were badly affected.

According to a statement issued here on Sunday, he emphasised the need to issue six-month ration cards to affected people instead asking them to queue for getting food. According to sources of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, flash floods washed away hundreds of houses, schools, hospitals, link brigs and roads. Dozens of persons had lost their life in recent flash floods in Balochistan, sources maintained.

Presently, thousands of people were sitting under open sky as their houses had been washed away.It was also learnt that due to lack of funds, district administrations had failed in providing relief to all affected people. Meanwhile, Pakistan Army contingents have been despatched to vulnerable areas of Sindh following a formal request from government of Sindh in view of the impending flood.

Pakistan Air Force continued the relief operations on the fourth day in the flood affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkwa. C-130 aircraft have transported more than 500 stranded people, including six foreigners, from Gilgit and Skardu. C-130 sorties continued to arrive at PAF Base, Peshawar, and PAF Academy, Risalpur, carrying relief goods, which included rations and mineral water, says a press release.

Pakistan Navy Search and Rescue (SAR) Operation MADAD in flood hit areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is also continuing for the fourth day. Pakistan Navy SAR teams have been augmented with two additional SSG(N) / Marine teams along with requisite equipment from Karachi. Pakistan Navy SAR teams, after completing rescue operation in Charsadda area, has been reassigned to Nowshera Kalan region. Reportedly, 5,000 personnel were stranded in the area. Due to continuous day and night extensive flood relief operations, despite experiencing technical/ logistic problems, the PN personnel have so far rescued over 2000 personnel from Nowshera Kalan, says a press release.

 

[sparklingway]

Floods pushed KP back by 50 years, claims Hoti​

Monday, August 02, 2010
By Khalid Kheshgi

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti said here Sunday that his government might divert the entire Annual Development Programme (ADP) to reconstruction and rehabilitation works if the international community and federal government failed to help the province in the crisis caused by torrential rains and unprecedented floods.

After taking aerial view of the flood-affected areas in Nowshera, Charsadda and Malakand division and meeting people in upper parts of Swat, the chief minister told members of the media that the infrastructure including roads and bridges in Swat and Shangla districts and Malakand Agency had been washed away by the floodwater.

“Seeing the destruction in Swat’s Kalam and Madyan and parts of Malakand division, one can say that the recent rains and floods caused more devastation in these areas compared to other districts of the province,” he said, adding that from Chakdarra to Kalam all the bridges on river Swat had been washed away while from Fatehpur onward to Kalam there was no sign of the road.

He said the devastating flood and rains had pushed back the province by 50 years due to damage to roads infrastructure, canal network, electricity system and water supply schemes.

The chief minister said the present crisis caused by rains and floods was 10 times higher than the IDPs crisis, which the provincial government with support of people had bravely faced. He asked the general public and well-off persons to help the displaced and affected people in their respective areas.

“This is such a big problem that a provincial government cannot not handle or overcome it due to financial restrains. However, we will do whatever is possible to help the affected people,” he said, appealing to international community and federal government to bail them out from the present crisis.

The chief minister said with the demolition of Munda Headworks the entire irrigation system in the downcountry would be affected as thousands of acres of land in Mardan, Charsadda, Swabi and Nowshera districts were being irrigated by this irrigation system.

Flanked by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the chief minister said that rescue operation in Charsadda had been completed and thousands of stranded people were evacuated and relief activities launched.

About Nowshera district, the chief minister said the rescue teams would evacuate the stranded people in Nowshera Kalan and Mohib Banda. He said the army and navy rescue teams had shifted thousands of people in helicopters and motorboats to safe places.

“Our first priority is to rescue and save the lives of people and then to provide them relief,” he said, adding that after assessment of the losses the rehabilitation and reconstruction process would be launched.

The chief minister also announced Rs300,000 each as compensation for those who died in the rains and flood. “This is the least we can do for the bereaved families,” he remarked.The chief minister said that it would be premature to provide the exact figure of the losses. He, however, said the financial losses to the individuals would be in billions.

The chief minister also announced Rs250 million for Swat and Shangla districts for rescue and relief operation while Rs80 million had already been released to Charsadda and Nowshera districts.

Admitting his government’s failure to evacuate the stranded people in time, he said the provincial government was short of resources and the machinery required for rescue and evacuation.

Over 100 relief camps set up in flood-hit areas​

Monday, August 02, 2010
By Tauseef-ur-Rahman

PESHAWAR: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the administration of the flood-affected districts continued rescue and relief activities on Sunday by establishing over 100 relief camps in various areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Most camps were established in government schools while buildings of private schools and other buildings were also used for the purpose. In Peshawar, six camps were established where 5,000 displaced persons were accommodated while in Charsadda district 93 camps were set up for 25,000 affected people.

In Nowshera district, 32 relief camps for 2,500 affected people and in Swat five camps for 2,250 people were established where flood affected people were accommodated. Adnan Khan, spokesman for the PDMA, told The News the authority was actively involved in relief activities in the affected districts. He said the authority had sent food packets to various districts including Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat, Kohistan, Peshawar, Dir Lower, Malakand Agency and Shangla. He said one food packet covered needs of one family of eight members for one month.

CM sets up relief fund with one month salary of PML-N MPs​

Monday, August 02, 2010
By our correspondent

LAHORE: Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif has directed the authorities concerned to declare all flood-affected areas as calamity-stricken and waive off agriculture and revenue taxes and water charges there.

He also announced setting up of a special fund for the relief of flood-affectees in which all the members of the cabinet, MNAs and MPAs, belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-N, would donate their one-month salary whereas officers of BPS-17 and above would donate their two-day salary and officials from BPS-5 to BPS-16 their one-day salary. The government officials from BPS-1 to BPS-4 would be exempt from donation.

The CM was presiding over a meeting held to review the flood situation and relief activities at the Lahore airport before his departure for the visit to the flood-affected areas here on Sunday.

Shahbaz said no effort would be spared for the relief of the flood affectees. He ordered a complete survey of all the flood-affected areas and the affectees would be compensated after assessing the loss of crops and properties in the light of the survey.

 

[sparklingway]

Rivers breach century-old record​

By Khaleeq Kiani
Monday, 02 Aug, 2010

ISLAMABAD: An almost 110-year-old record of river flow was broken when 1.034 million cusecs of water passed the Chashma barrage on Sunday afternoon.

The flood has played havoc with lives and property in upstream Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

An irrigation expert told Dawn that the highest flow recorded previously at the point was in 1901 when it reached about 900,000 cusecs. A large part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been affected at that time as well. The authorities do not have any dependable data for years before 1901.

“The biggest-ever flood in Pakistan’s history was recorded at about 4pm on Sunday when 1,034,000 cusecs crossed Chashma,” an official said. The flows then started to recede and fell to 967,000 cusecs by 8pm.

In 1976, the flows at Chashma had touched 750,000 cusecs.

The country’s highest flood-related human loss was 1,008 deaths recorded in 1992. Most of the losses were caused by the Jhelum and Chenab rivers in Azad Kashmir and Punjab.

“The loss of lives this season might have already breached the 1992 level,” an official said, referring to statements by different sources.

The official said the authorities in Sindh had been warned of an extraordinarily dangerous situation in areas adjoining Sukkur and Guddu barrages and their catchments, commonly known as the katcha region, because of rising flows.

He said the provincial government had been asked to remove people from the katcha areas of Sukkur and Guddu to avoid any “big loss”.

He said the Guddu barrage was currently in low flood with 255,000 cusecs and would experience medium flood on Monday with up to 400,000 cusecs.

The flows at Attock-Khairabad remained in the exceptionally high range at 740,000 cusecs in the evening, followed by 750,000 cusecs at Taunsa which were forecast to go up to 900,000 cusecs.

The official said that head-regulators at Thal canal were in danger and irrigation authorities were trying to protect it.

The flows in Indus at Kalabagh were ‘exceptionally high’ with 840,000 cusecs but had dropped at Tarbela to 370,000 cusecs.

The Jhelum inflows at Mangla also normalised to about 150,000 cusecs.

Intikhab Hanif adds from Lahore: A fresh monsoon low is expected to enter the country on Monday night and result in low-to-moderate rain with isolated heavy falls in Sindh, south Punjab and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the next two days.

The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) forecast on Sunday that the system might cause problems in lower Sindh by the time the peak of exceptionally high Indus flood reaches there.

It said the Indus was likely to attain a high flood level at Guddu on Tuesday and exceptionally high on Aug 6.

The river is likely to attain a high flood level at Sukkur on Aug 4 and exceptionally high level on Aug 7.

Riverine and low-lying areas of the districts of Ghotki, Sukkur, Larkana, Nawabshah, Hyderabad and Naushehro Feroze may be affected.

The FFD said that on Sunday the river Jhelum at Rasul and Kabul at Nowshera were in high flood.

The Indus at Sukkur and the Chenab at Marala were in low flood.

Over the past 24 hours, moisture from the Arabian Sea generated rain in some cities.

Sialkot received 124mm of rainfall, Jhelum 36mm, Lahore downtown 25mm and Upper Mall 7mm, Palku 68mm, Kund 62mm, Kotli 37mm, Badin 14mm, Zhob 8mm, Serai Alamgir 5mm and Bahawalpur and Murree 4mm.The FFD forecast scattered rain over Punjab, northeast Balochistan, southeast Sindh and Kashmir over the next 24 hours. Isolated rain was forecast in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan. The Met office forecast light rain in Lahore.

 

[fawwaxs]

Flood toll tops 1,100 as cholera emerges

PESHAWAR: The death toll from Pakistan's worst floods in living memory stood at over 1,100 on Monday, with water-borne disease emerging as a threat to survivors.

More than 1.5 million people have been affected by flash floods and landslides brought on by monsoon rain in the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, officials said.

“The floods have killed more than 1,100 people in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and affected over 1.5 million,” Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the province's information minister, told AFP.

“We are receiving information about the loss of life and property caused by the floods all over the province,” he said, adding that he feared the death toll could rise.

A senior official at the provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) confirmed the toll.

Hussain said more than 3,700 homes had been swept away and the number of people made homeless was mounting.

Hundreds of survivors sought shelter in schools in Peshawar and Muzaffarabad after escaping the floods with children on their backs.

The US government has announced an initial 10-million-dollar aid pledge and has rushed helicopters and boats to Pakistan.

China, which has also been hit by severe flooding, announced a 10 million yuan donation, according to the Xinhua news agency.

Hussain said rescue teams were trying to reach 1,500 tourists stranded in Swat district.

“We are also getting confirmation of reports about an outbreak of cholera in some areas of Swat,” he said.

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said it had airlifted more than 500 stranded people, including six foreigners, as part of relief operations and was carrying out reconnaissance missions to assess the damage to infrastructure.

Television footage and photographs taken from helicopters showed people clinging to the walls and rooftops of damaged houses as water rushed through villages.

The country’s weather bureau said the northwest had been hit by an “unprecedented” 312 millimetres of rain in 36 hours.

More than 300 people affected by the floods rallied in Peshawar on Sunday, chanting slogans criticising the provincial government for not providing them with adequate shelter.

“I had built a two-room house on the outskirts of Peshawar with my hard-earned money but I lost it in the floods,” said 53-year-old labourer Ejaz Khan, who joined the rally.

“The government is not helping us... the school building where I sheltered is packed with people, with no adequate arrangement for food and medicine,” Khan told AFP.

 

[fawwaxs]

More than 300,000 displaced in Layyah

LAYYAH: More than 300,000 people were displaced when the Indus in high flood devastated an area of about 1,200 square kilometres here on Sunday.

More than one million cusecs of water passing through the river washed away about 12,000 houses, ravaged 82 revenue estates and destroyed standing crops on 250,000 acres.

The flood threatened Layyah city’s more than 200,000 residents and put huge pressure on the newly constructed 2km-long Kukranwala Bund.

In Muzaffargarh, about 4,000 people were marooned in the flooded area of Dera Din Pannah near Taunsa Barrage.

In Mianwali, engineers of the irrigation department were struggling to plug a breach on the left embankment of the Indus which had been blown up on Thursday night to save the Jinnah Barrage. The breach has inundated a vast area in the town of Daudkhel.

 

[Dance]

This is really horrible, first we have to deal with suicide bombings/ bombs in general and now Pakistan is a full out disaster zone

 

[fawwaxs]

 

[fawwaxs]

UN chief ‘deeply saddened’ by flood deaths in Pakistan

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was “deeply saddened” by the rising death toll from floods in Pakistan and promised more UN assistance to the suffering population, a UN official said late Sunday.

“The secretary-general is deeply saddened by the significant loss of lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure in Pakistan, following the recent heavy monsoon rains that have caused the worst floods in the last 80 years, affecting more than one million people,” a spokesman for Ban said in a statement.

The death toll from Pakistan's worst floods in living memory stood at over 1,000 on Monday, with water-borne disease emerging as a threat to survivors.

More than 1.5 million people have been affected by flash floods and landslides brought on by monsoon rain in the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, officials said.

Ban also reiterated the full commitment of the United Nations to “meeting the humanitarian needs of the population affected.”

In addition to the aid the United Nations is already providing, the secretary-general authorised the disbursement of up to 10 million dollars from an emergency response fund to help address the needs of the population, the spokesman said.