Pakistan’s flood death toll reaches 1,186: NDMA
At least 19 more people have lost their lives to widespread flash floods across the country during the last 24 hours, pushing the overall death toll to 1,186, said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in its report with the latest statistics.
On the other hand, Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman said that the flood caused by the monsoon has flooded the country and especially Sindh, destroying 45% of the crops, which has caused loss of $10 billion.
According to the Federal Minister’s estimate, about 70 percent of the country’s districts are under water, one-third of Pakistan as a whole or an area equal to the total area of Great Britain.
According to official data, the number of districts affected by catastrophic floods are 110, including 34 in Balochistan, 33 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 16 in Sindh, while rest of the districts are in Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.
Dadu floods
The town of Khairpur Nathan Shah in Dadu district has been submerged in water, while the residents of Johi and Mehar are struggling to protect their towns.
50,000 citizens of Juhi and 10,000 flood victims who came here from various flood affected areas are in danger while the water level near the protective embankments in Johi city is continuously rising.
Tariq Rand, a resident of Juhi, told Dawn that 600 villages in Dadu district have been submerged, many people are still stranded due to lack of boats while they are also facing shortage of food and water.
To reduce the pressure on the embankments of Johi and Dadu cities, the Irrigation Department has created a 1000 feet wide crack in the MNV drain near Manchhar Lake.
Men, women and children are engaged day and night in making new barriers and strengthening the existing embankments with the help of sacks filled with sand, stones and other materials.
One-third of the country has been submerged in water due to floods caused by abnormal, torrential monsoon rains and melting glaciers, while at least 1,191 people, including 399 children, have died since June 14. 21 deaths have been reported in last 24 hours.
At least two Monsoon systems to hit Sindh in September
According to PMD, at least two monsoon systems are likely to bring heavy rains in Sindh in September, with Tharparkar, Umarkot and Badin expecting 20 to 30 percent more rain than normal.
The Met office said that the situation may worsen in the flood-affected areas with more than normal rains. The downpours may trigger moderate to high flooding in Lower Sindh.
The Met office also forecast more than normal rains in Northeast Punjab including Sialkot, Narowal and Lahore. These areas may receive 10 to 15 per cent more rain.
