75 more die in battle with ‘Monster Monsoon’

SUKKUR/ISLAMABAD: As many as 75 more people were killed and 59 injured on Monday as tens of millions of people across swathes of Pakistan battled the worst monsoon floods in a decade, with countless homes washed away, vital farmland destroyed, and the country’s main river threatening to burst its banks. The only bright spark was the latest weather report saying “there was little chance of rain for the rest of the week”.

According to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 75 more people were killed and 59 injured taking the death toll since mid-June when the monsoon rains began to wreak havoc to 1,136. As many as 53 were killed in Sindh followed by 16 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, five in Gilgit Baltistan, two in Balochistan and one in AJK. Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said a third of the country was under water, creating a “crisis of unimaginable proportions”. Sherry Rehman called it “the monster monsoon of the decade”.

The monsoon rains caused massive flooding across Pakistan are “unprecedented in the last 30 years”, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said. “There is an ocean of floodwater everywhere,” the premier said as he toured badly hit areas in the north to direct relief operations. Visiting Nowhera, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the authorities to utilize all-out resources for immediate rescue and relocation of the flood-hit population.

The prime minister reviewed the rescue and relief activities in the flood-ravaged areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and was briefed about the flood situation in the Kabul River. Chief Secretary Khyber Pakthunkhwa Dr Shehzad Bangash, Deputy Commissioner Nowshera, NDMA and PDMA’s authorities briefed the prime minister about the ongoing rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations in Nowshera district following the devastating floods of the August 27. During the briefing at Mardan Bridge, the KP authorities apprised him of the ongoing rescue and relief operation as well as other facilities being provided to the displaced people at the relief camps. He was informed that 70 relief and 11 medical camps were established for flood victims at Tehsils Jhangira, Pabbi and Nowshera and assistance was being provided to the flood victims. The prime minister was informed that the stoppage of Tarbela Dam’s water had helped to pass the flow of floods in River Kabul without causing further losses.

At the relief camp, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif interacted with the people at the shelter camps and showed affection to the children. He assured them that the government would provide them with all possible facilities at the camps and resolved not to leave them alone. He said the federal government, in collaboration with the Pakistan Army, was striving to provide maximum relief to the affected people. Shehbaz said that the federal government was providing Rs25,000 cash assistance each among the flood-hit families across the country to enable them to meet their immediate needs. Moreover, Rs 1 million each would also be given to the families who had lost their dear ones. The prime minister was accompanied by Federal Ministers Marriyum Aurangzeb and Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Adviser to PM Amir Muqam, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz KP Spokesman MPA Ikhtiar Wali Khan and other party leaders.

In a related development, during an important meeting of the government’s coalition parties, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decided to launch a national-level reconstruction and rehabilitation programme and establish a ‘National Flood Response and Coordination Centre’.

The meeting, which was held at the Prime Minister’s House, discussed the situation arising out of the heavy floods in various parts of the country and observed such devastation was not caused by floods and rains in the last 60 years. Federal ministers, chief minister of Balochistan, leaders of coalition parties, Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad khan Niazi, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar, National Disaster and Management Authority (NDMA) chairman and other officials concerned attended.

The prime minister in his tweet said the proposed National Flood Response and Coordination Center would provide an institutional response to flood calamity. “Led by the PM, this centre will comprise federal ministers and representatives from armed forces, chief ministers,” the prime minister said. He said the centre would serve as a bridge between disaster management authorities, donors, and government institutions. It would collect and analyse the latest information and pass it on to government agencies.

The prime minister pointed out that the centre would also oversee the rescue and relief work, including the restoration of infrastructure. The meeting was informed that major devastations were caused in Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, South Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan. It was decided that the federal government, provincial governments and different organisations would carry out a careful and transparent survey of damages caused by flood and rains along with making effective planning for rehabilitation of flood-hit population, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said.

It was also proposed during the meeting that future planning was a must while learning lessons from the flood and climate change while beds of rivers and nullahs would be cleared after removing all the encroachments and illegal constructions. Moreover, the federal and provincial governments would also take measures for enhancing the capacity of administrations at different levels. The meeting also backed the prime minister’s decision to establish the PM Relief Fund 2022 and start the campaign for the collection of funds from inside and outside the country. The statement issued by the PM House said that it was affirmed during the meeting the coalition government would not sit till the completion of relief and rehabilitation activities. The meeting was also informed that the federal government had so far released Rs5 billion to the NDMA and Rs15 billion and Rs10 billion for Sindh and Balochistan provinces as special grants while Rs1 million would be provided to every deceased person. The meeting also prayed for those who died in floods and rains.

Officials say 1,136 people have died since June but the final toll could be higher as hundreds of villages in the mountainous north have been cut off after flood-swollen rivers washed away roads and bridges. This year´s flooding has affected more than 33 million people -- one in seven Pakistanis -- said the NDMA. “It´s all one big ocean, there´s no dry land to pump the water out,” Rehman said, adding the economic cost would also be devastating. The proverbial silver lining is the latest weather report, with the met office saying there was little chance of rain for the rest of the week. The Federal Flood Commission (FFC) has said that very high and above level flooding is likely to continue in River Kabul at Nowshera during the next 24 hours. According to the daily FFC report at 7pm, River Swat is flowing in “low flood” at Chakdara, Munda Head Works and Charsadda Road while in “Normal Flow Condition” at Khwazakhela. River Kabul continues to flow in “very high flood” at Nowshera but flows are receding. Indus at Kalabagh-Chashma was discharging “Medium Flood”, while Taunsa–Guddu-Sukkur, Indus was discharging “high flood” with “medium flood” at Kotri respectively. At Tarbela (on Indus) there was “Low flood” situation.

Flood continues to ravage low-lying areas of Swat, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Nowshera and Charsadda. Nearly 180,000 people were displaced from their homes and many have found high ground on the Peshawar Motorway. Flood victims have taken refuge in makeshift camps that have sprung up across the country, where desperation is setting in. “Living here is miserable. Our self-respect is at stake,” said Fazal e Malik, sheltering in the grounds of a school now home to around 2,500 people in the town of Nowshera. “I stink but there is no place to take a shower. There are no fans.” The army helicopters were also struggling to pluck people to safety where soaring mountains and deep valleys make for treacherous flying conditions.

To add to the distress around 27 grid stations of Balochistan are without power after electricity pylons were washed away leaving large swathes of Khuzdar, Kalat, Sorab, Mastung, Nushki, Chaghi, and Kharan without electricity. Loralai, Zhob, Killa Saifullah, Pishin and Chaman. Already large parts of the provincial capital Quetta and it’s suburbs are without power, gas and telecommunication.

In the Naseerabad district of Balochistan, around 350 villages of Manju Shori were flooded when flood torrents in the local Nari River spilt the banks. As many as 180 prisoners of Dera Murad Jamali jail were shifted to Sibi after the prison was flooded. Similarly, the Dera Allah Yar jail requires it to be abandoned. The central jail in Mach remains without power, gas and water. The Kara-Taftan-Iran highway has been reopened after a three-day closure.

Tragedy struck once again on Monday when 11 people including women and kids drowned when a boat capsized in Bhan Saeedabad near Sehwan Sharif. The boat with 25 people on board were shifting from their marooned village in Bilawalpur to nearby village Talty when it capsized after getting trapped in a flood current, the reports said. The Pakistan Navy also rushed its divers to the scene and 10 people were rescued. The deceased were identified as Shabana, Reshma, Samina, Manzoor, Iqra, Shahzoor, Farooq Khokhar, Rehan Wakila and Zubaida and Shahazoor. The injured and the bodies were later shifted to Abdullah Shah Institute of Medical Science, Sehwan Sharif.

More water from a broken drain in Balochistan has entered into Qubo Saeed Khan flooding hundreds of villages and Kachi Pull town in Qambar-Shahdadkot district floodwaters submerged a portion of Shahdadkot Khuzdar Motorway M 8 motorway closing it for traffic at Kachi Pull. Powerful currents of hill torrents submerged the area and increased pressure on the protective dykes.

Another flood torrent from Balochistan was heading towards Tehsil Juhi. Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro said, “ a breach has been made in Juhi Barrage to save Qambar, Warah, Mehar, and Khairpur Nathan Shah from being flooded.” Rafiq Jamali, PPP’s MNA from Dadu, is upset with the Sindh government’s decision regarding the breach.“The breach would impact Tehsil Juhi’s population which is over 250,000. “The floods are expected to submerge more than 65 villages,” he said, adding that water had begun entering Juhi’s nearby villages and people have started migrating to safer locations.

Zamindara Bund near Kandiaro has breached flooding parts of Bhikri. The flood waters were heading towards Sanghar after the Irrigation Department failed to plug the breach in Sim Nullah. Millions of acres of rich farmland in Sukkur have been flooded by weeks of non-stop rain, but now the Indus is threatening to burst its banks as torrents of water course downstream from tributaries in the north. Near Sukkur, one farmer lamented the devastation wrought on his rice fields. “Our crop spanned over 5,000 acres on which the best quality rice was sown and is eaten by you and us,” Khalil Ahmed, 70, said.

In Shikarpur, the smattering of homes in Panjal Sheikh started to collapse one by one, as torrential rain lashed the tiny village and flooded the vast stretches of farmland around it. Many flood survivors from Panjal Sheikh have made their way to Sukkur, the largest city nearby, hoping for assistance. Some sat along an elevated highway under tents fashioned from plastic sheets. As two military trucks passed carrying food, sacks of wheat, tents and cooking pots, a crowd of people rushed towards them. Some desperately tried to climb up the trucks, fighting each other to try and reach the aid items. Soldiers shouted at them to form a queue, but few listened.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy are continuing flood relief operations in far-flung rural areas of the country. Pakistan Navy continued to operate in Sindh including Dadu, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Qambar Shahdad Kot, Sehwan and Sukkur, the spokesman of Pakistan Navy said. The Pakistan Navy personnel conducted relief operations for the people including elders, children and women from Christian and Hindu communities in Matli, Badin. These people were trapped in floodwater for the last two days. Pakistan Navy teams promptly reacted to the request of the flood victims and provided them basic necessities. Medical camps by the Navy which especially included lady doctors and female paramedical staff are working in different flood-affected areas. A Mobile Medical Service through boats has also been started by Pakistan Navy to provide medical assistance to the stranded populace and to rescue the patients from their doorstep. Pakistan Navy teams are rescuing stranded families from flooded areas and shifting them to safer places. Pakistan Navy troops also distributed ration bags, cooked food, fresh drinking water and other necessities to the locals.

Similarly, the Pakistan Army is performing flood relief activities on the directions of Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. The Pakistan Army established relief camps in Lahore and South Punjab districts. The troops are not only performing relief operations and rescue operations including through land and helicopter operations.

Pakistan Army has established more than 70 relief camps in Punjab to help flood victims. Keeping in view the flood situation and in view of the need, more camps will be established. The collected food, shelter and other items are being distributed to the flood victims of Balochistan, Sindh, KPK and South Punjab. A large number of people are actively participating in the donation process to help the flood-affected people. The Army conducted air relief operations in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts and provided ration bags and tents to the flood victims. It also continued rescue and relief operations in all flood-affected areas of Leh, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur.

The teams of the Pakistan Army rescued people trapped in the affected area and shifted them to safe places. The cooked food and dry ration are being provided to the people living in the relief camps. The Army is deploying all available resources to help the flood-affected people including immediate medical assistance in medical camps set up by the army. A helpline 1135 has been set up by the Army so the public can get guidance regarding donations.