Rescue, relief and rehabilitation on Sunday continued across Pakistan as the country faces the worst rain-induced flooding in its history impacting over 5.7 million people.
The death toll has so far exceeded 1,000 with 1,500 people injured, and 498,442 residing in relief camps across the country. At least 119 people have died in the last 24 hours, as reported by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The catastrophe has killed around 719,558 livestock. The government of Pakistan has made appeals for donations to cope with the devastating impact of floods on both national and international levels.
The flooding has also affected agricultural land and infrastructure in Pakistan leaving 949,858 homes damaged across provinces.
Taking to Twitter, PPP leader Saeed Ghani shared that Turkey’s first plane carrying relief items has landed at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport.
Former president and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said that he is unable to help the flood affectees due to health issues.
However, he assured that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will be there for the victims during the catastrophe.
Following directives from Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, the Sukkur Police have withdrawn the first information report (FIR) filed against flood victims who protested during Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s arrival in the city.
The chief minister said that the flood affected people were in heart-wrenching conditions.
“They deserve every bit of help and support — registration of such cases is unjustified and unacceptable,” he said.
Punjab’s Chief Minister Pervez Elahi has directed Mianwali’s administration and relevant institutions to remain alert.
“Be prepared for all kinds of circumstances,” CM Elahi instructed relevant authorities. The CM added that all security arrangements should be effective and comprehensive in all respects.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has extended condolences on the flood-induced devastations in Pakistan during a telephone call with her Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
The Foreign Office, in a statement, shared that Bilawal thanked the minister for France’s expression of solidarity and offer of assistance to the Pakistani people during tough times.
FM Bilawal briefed his French counterpart about the destruction caused across Pakistan by incessant rainfall resulting in floods and landslides.
He shared that a “UN Flash Appeal” would be launched on August 30, hoping that the international community would contribute towards meeting the funding requirements.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed concern for flood affectees in Pakistan by quote-tweeting Canada’s Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly on Twitter.
He shared that Canada will provide in-kind support including essential items for flood victims via international humanitarian agencies.
Pope Francis has also urged international community to step up for support of flood affectees in Pakistan.
During his visit to the collapsed Bibi Nanee bridge, Commander Balochistan Corps has issued directives to local authorities to fix bypass, as affectees there remained stranded for the past three days, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Sunday.
The ISPR said that the commander asked to speed up work to create bypass and complete it within the next 12 hours. Army’s medical team has been sent, while arrangements for the provision of food and water have also been made via a special helicopter.
“Commander also visited relief camp for affectees of Mach and surrounding and interacted with people,” the statement read, informing that the commander ensured affectees about Pakistan Army and FC’s support for earliest rehabilitation, as well as their rescue and relief efforts.
The NHA chairman also met Commander 12 Corps later. During the meeting, the commander informed him about the bypass effort and asked him to restore all road links of Balochistan to the rest of the country at the earliest. He ensured the army’s quick assistance in the process.
All public and private educational institutions across Balochistan have been closed till September 2, due to ongoing flooding in the province, the education minister said on Sunday.
The minister added that flood victims are being given shelter in government schools and colleges.
Around 247 people in Balochistan have lost their lives across flood-hit areas so far.
National Highway, Bibi Nani, and Pinjra Bridge have been swept away due to flooding in Bolan River. Seven link roads on the Ziarat-Quetta highway and four bridges have also been washed away.
Areas including Ziarat, Mastung, and Pishin were inundated, while Manjhoo Shori — Balochistan’s most wheat-producing region also remains submerged due to floods.
Skin diseases are spreading among affectees following their exposure to stagnant flood water.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nowshehra, a major portion of the Matta Bypass Road was swept away by the river due to a very high flood.
KP’s government has imposed an emergency and evacuated at least 180,000 people in 13 districts of the province to safer places.
The Gilgit River is also flowing in high flood. Over 45 houses were destroyed and seven people died due to landslides in Ghizer.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday announced a grant worth Rs10 billion for Balochistan to cope with the impact of ongoing rain-induced floods in the province and assist flood victims.
The PM made the announcement following his visit to one of the flood-hit villages Haji Allah Dino, where he also met with affectees residing in relief camps.
Speaking to media during the visit, PM Shahbaz said that he had never witnessed such massive scale of destruction in his lifetime.
The PM thanked nations including Turkey and UAE that have extended support for Pakistan during the catastrophe. He shared that assistance would arrive from both nations in Karachi and Islamabad, respectively.
“We are grateful to the friendly countries for their support and solidarity. The UK government and other countries have announced their support in this hour of distress for which we express our thankfulness,” he said.
The PM shared that the PM Relief Fund has been receiving donations and cited a contribution worth Rs45 million made by a group, as well as another significant amount donated by an individual.
Acting Governor Balochistan Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali, Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, and Chief Secretary Abdul Aziz Aqeeli, as well as NDMA and PDMA authorities accompanied the PM on his visit during which he was briefed about the status of ongoing relief and rehabilitation works in the province.
The province's chief secretary informed the PM that 20 badly-affected districts including Killa Saifullah and Killa Abdullah, impacting around 1.3 million people of its population.
A total of 65,000 houses were completed destroyed, while the Quetta-Sukkkur road link had been cut off due to collapse of bridges. He also shared that 25 small dams in the province were breached and 78 others had developed cracks.
Aqeeli added that 450 solar tube wells were damaged, while millions of acres of agriculture land were swept away in the flooding. He shared that affectees were being provided cash assistance through BISP and arrangements were made to ensure food provision to more than 1 million people.
Pakistan’s flooded southern Sindh province braced for a fresh deluge from swollen rivers in the north.
The mighty Indus River that courses through the country’s second-most populous region is fed by dozens of mountain tributaries to the north, but many have burst their banks following record rains and glacier melt.
Officials warned torrents of water are expected to reach Sindh in the next few days, adding misery to millions already affected by the floods.
"Right now, Indus is in high flood," said Aziz Soomro, the supervisor of Sukkur Barrage.
Thousands of people living near flood-swollen rivers in Pakistan’s north were ordered to evacuate from danger zones, but army helicopters and rescuers are still plucking laggards to safety.
"People were informed around three or four o’clock in the morning to evacuate their houses," rescue worker Umar Rafiq told AFP.
"When the flood water hit the area we had to rescue children and women,” he said.
Many rivers in the area have burst their banks, demolishing scores of buildings including a 150-room hotel that crumbled into a raging torrent.
Guest house owner Nasir Khan, whose business was badly hit by the 2010 flooding, said he had lost everything.
"It has washed away the remaining part of the hotel," he told AFP.
The flood-swollen rivers were also yielding unlikely riches. Locals scrambled to snag thousands of valuable cedar, pine and oak logs that had likely been illegally harvested in the mountains but were being washed downstream.
Officials blame the devastation on human-driven climate change, saying Pakistan is unfairly bearing the consequences of irresponsible environmental practices elsewhere in the world.
Pakistan is eighth on NGO Germanwatch’s Global Climate Risk Index, a list of countries deemed most vulnerable to extreme weather caused by climate change.
Exacerbating the situation, corruption, poor planning and the flouting of local regulations mean thousands of buildings have been erected in areas prone to seasonal flooding.
In parts of Sindh, the only dry areas are the elevated roads and railroad tracks, alongside which tens of thousands of poor rural folk have taken shelter with their livestock.
Near Sukkur, a row of tents stretched for two kilometres, with people still arriving by boats loaded with wooden charpoy beds and pots and pans — the only possessions they could salvage.
"Water started rising in the river from yesterday, inundating all the villages and forcing us to flee," labourer Wakeel Ahmed, 22, told AFP.
Sukkur Barrage supervisor Soomro told AFP every sluice gate was open to deal with a river flow of more than 600,000 cubic metres per second.
While the capital Islamabad and adjoining twin garrison city of Rawalpindi have escaped the worst of the flooding, its effects were still being felt.
"Currently supplies are very limited," said Muhammad Ismail, a produce shopkeeper in Rawalpindi.
"Tomatoes, peas, onions and other vegetables are not available due to the floods," he told AFP, adding prices were also soaring.
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