GENEVA: Up to 2.5 million people across Pakistan have been affected by heavy flooding brought on by torrential monsoon rains, the International Red Cross said Monday.
“In the worst-affected areas, entire villages were washed away without warning by walls of flood water,” it said in a statement, noting that thousands of people “have lost everything.” Up to 100,000 households need help, said the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (ICRC).
KP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told a news conference in Peshawar that flash floods have killed up to 1,500 people in the province. “There are 774 deaths registered with us, but the total number killed in the flood is 1,200 to 1,500.” “There are 129 people still missing,” he added.
In addition to those killed in the KP, local officials said 53 people died in Azad Kashmir, 26 in Balochistan and 49 in Punjab. Muhammad Ateeb Siddiqui, ICRC director operations said, “In a country that is no stranger to natural disasters, this crisis has its own dimension: because so many people have lost literally all that they had, we now need to urgently distribute not only food but also the means to cook it.”
Moreover, there were reports of outbreaks of disease among 2.5 million people affected by Pakistan’s worst floods in 80 years. Officials warn that a lack of drinking water is spreading disease, even cholera, and saying they are working to medivac people from affected areas such as Swat.
At a camp set up by the army for around 640 families in Nowshehra, Doctor Shoaib Mohammad told AFP: “We are getting patients with trauma, gastroenteritis, skin diseases and dehydration.”
Fifty-year-old Ajmair Shah went into shock after flood destroyed his home in Nowshehra. He lay motionless in his hospital bed and staring into the air. People at the camp said there were no proper latrines or bathrooms and that the only respite from the crushing heat was plastic hand fans. Most of them fled in the clothes they were wearing and many children roamed around naked.
“They throw food at us as if we are animals and not humans,” Ilyas Khan, one angry man told AFP, complaining there was no proper system of distribution. Sitting at a relief camp set up by a local businessman in Khandar village outside Nowshehra, Bushra Begum cradled her youngest son in her lap. “He is one year old and ill,” she said softly.
She has not seen her other two children since monsoon rainwater submerged their house last week. “God destroy this government. They have not helped us during this disaster,” shouted Mohammad Shah Fahad as he stood on a roadside.
Petrol pumps, homes, shops and markets were under water. The stink of rotting animal carcasses was everywhere. Nizam Gul, another affectee in Nowshera, said: “The relief camps set up by authorities are just showpieces, there is no food or medicine available there,” Gul said.
“When the flood came, nobody came to our rescue. We spent two nights on the roof in the rain without food and water,” Mohammad Tariq, a cloth merchant told AFP. In Punjab, flood has also inundated hundreds of villages in DG Khan.
Recent rain in Koh-e-Suleman has also caused heavy destruction of property. Many villages have lost road contacts with other areas due to flood. The flood displaced thousands of people and forced locals to seek shelter at different roads.
Similarly, flood also hit Layyah and Taunsa Sharif as it displaced over 300,000 people and washed away thousands of acres of crops. About 900,000 cusec water is flowing in the Taunsa Barrage which can cause more destruction in different cities including Jampur, Rajanpur, Chachrran, Kot Mithan and others.
Thousands of villages were evacuated by the relief teams across the area as the process of arrival of heavy flows of water was still in progress with rapid pace. About 600,000 cusec water at Ghazi Ghat, 700,000 cusec water at Kalabagh, 800,000 cusec water at Chashma and 900,000 cusec water was passing at Taunsa at 12 pm (noon) here on August 2.
Half of the cultivated area across the district Rajanpur was devastated by flood. The relief teams have rescued 36,808 people and evacuated 568 villages. Meanwhile, 17 people drowned when a rescue boat capsized in floodwater near ‘Bait-Hinjranu’ village of Kot Addu.
Federal Flood Commission (FFC) said that according to latest data, the River Indus is flowing in exceptionally high flood with falling trend at Chashma and is very high flood with falling trend at Kalabagh. It is also in very high flood with rising trend at Taunsa.
Similarly, the River Jhelum is experiencing medium flood with falling trend in Mangla-Rasul reach. Tarbela and Mangla dams are at elevations of 1,526 feet and 1,206 feet, respectively, which are 23.78 feet and 4.00 feet below their respective maximum conservation levels of 1,550 feet and 1,210 feet.
They said the Indus at Taunsa is likely to attain exceptionally high flood level ranging from 850,000 to 950,000 cusecs during the next 24 to 48 hours. They added, under this scenario, inundation and further riverine flooding is expected in low-lying areas of districts Bhakkar, Layyah, Muzaffargarh, DG Khan and Rajanpur.
Similarly, the River Indus at Guddu is likely to attain exceptionally high flood levels of 950,000 to 1,050,000 cusecs on August 6. Under this scenario, the inundation and riverine flooding is expected in low lying areas of districts Ghotki and Sukkur.
The River Indus at Sukkur is also likely to attain high flood level ranging 500,000 to 600,000 cusecs on Wednesday (August 4) and exceptionally high flood level ranging 900,000 to 1,000,000 cusecs on August 7, due to which, inundation and riverine flooding is expected in low lying areas of districts Sukkur, Larkana, Nawabshah, Hyderabad and Nausheroferoze.
The Met office has predicted more monsoon rains in the current week as a fresh monsoon area developing in Bay of Bengal now lies over central parts of India. Under this system, Sindh, Punjab, Kashmir, eastern parts of KP and Balochistan would receive rain at times heavy, during this week.
However, thunderstorm with rain is also expected at scattered places of Kashmir, Upper Punjab, Bahawalpur and Hazara division, northeast Balochistan and southeast Sindh. The scattered rains may occur in federal capital today and become widespread during next 48 hours.
The United Nations, meanwhile, said that key bridges and roads have been destroyed or washed away in the flood-hit zones, where thousands are still waiting to be evacuated. Meanwhile, Besides, 450 troops already deployed in Rahim Yar Khan for rescue and relief activities, additional manpower has also been moved from Bahawalpur to the flood-affected area with 12 OB Boats and 300 life jackets, says an ISPR statement on Monday.
The Pakistan Air Force also continued the relief operations in the flood-affected areas. Rescue helicopters of PAF Base Mianwali dropped more than 6,000 meal boxes in surrounding areas of Isakhel, Kalabagh, Piplan, Kukran Wala, Azmat Wala, says a statement.
In context with the PAF relief operations conducted from PAF Base Chaklala, four C-130 aircraft has transported more then 800 stranded people from Skurdu and Gilgit, which includes 40 foreigners.
Pakistan Navy Search and Rescue (SAR) “Operation MADAD” continued in the flood-affected areas of KP for the fifth day. Owing to the expected flood warning at Sukkur, the NDMA has requested Pakistan Navy to shift the SAR teams to Sukkur.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon pledged aid of up to $10 million to meet the humanitarian needs of those affected by the crisis, saying he was “deeply saddened” by the floods. The US government announced a 10-million-dollar aid pledge and has rushed helicopters and boats to Pakistan. China has also promised 1.5 million dollars, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Britain pledged five million pounds Monday to help the flood victims. The money will be spent on efforts to help provide safe drinking water, toilets, sewage clearance and other measures. The Pakistan Association in Dubai (Pad) is urging people in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to donate generously to help the flood affectees.
UAE President Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has already ordered an urgent delivery of relief to help shelter those displaced by the floods. Meanwhile, King Abdullah of Jordan has expressed his heartfelt condolences and sympathies for the people who lost their lives and the families who were affected in the disastrous floods in Pakistan.
In a message, the king prayed Almighty Allah to rest the departed souls in eternal peace and bestow courage and patience on affected people to bear the tragedy. Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon Monday offered condolences and sympathy to the flood affectees.
In a statement, he said: “On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, I wish to express my heartfelt sympathy to those who have been affected by this terrible disaster. We send our condolences to the grieving families-our thoughts are with you.”
The National Press Club (NPC) has established a relief camp to collect donations for the victims of flood. A press release issued here on Monday said that NPC President Afzal Butt, Secretary General Asim Rana and its members, Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists and Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists have appealed to the philanthropists to give donations.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani directed the Economic Affairs Division and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to approach the United Nations for preparing an “Emergency Flood Response Plan”.
This would facilitate the government in engaging the international community for providing relief and assistance to the flood affectees through an institutional arrangement.
