SHAFAQNA PAKISTAN (Shia News Agency)
With over 4,000 homes destroyed and several thousand people rendered homeless across central and northern Pakistan, the catastrophic floods on Tuesday were dubbed as the deadliest in the country’s history by the chief minister of the worst-hit province.
As army and civilian rescue agencies mounted mass relief efforts to get villagers to safety with the help of helicopters and boats, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on a visit to flood-hit areas in Punjab told reporters the flood were the “deadliest in the history of Pakistan”.
“It is our responsibility to save every life, I have asked all political workers to go in the field and serve people,” he added.
While the 2014 floods have caused mass devastation, the country’s most devastating floods in recorded history remain to be the 2010 disaster, which killed more than 2,000 people and affected 18 million – more than a tenth of the country’s population.
On his tour of Jalalpur Bhattian of Hafizabad district today, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif advised relief workers to ensure safety of the locals.
The high levels of flood with the combined thrust of Chenab, Jhelum and Ravi has reached Trimmu Headwork, where the discharge of flood water is continuously being monitored for reducing the impact of floods on population at risk, a press statement released by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.
According to reports, flooding has submerged entire villages and ruined crops. Over 2,500 villages are partially or completely submerged across the Kashmir area, while thousands of people are stranded on rooftops waiting to be rescued.
At least eight people died, while several others were injured as roof of a mosque collapsed in Lahore. Relief efforts to rescue those stranded under the rubble were underway.
According to figures provided by NDMA, Punjab was the most heavily-hit province in the country due to floods with at least 156 deaths reported, 265 houses damaged and 1,337 villages affected.
A huge amount of flood water has accumulated in the Qadirabad headworks on River Chenab whereas the Trimmu Barrage is receiving 177,000 cusecs water on River Chenab, said NDMA official Ahmed Kamal.
Kamal said if the level of water crossed the present danger mark, spillway gates of Trimmo Barrage will have to be thrown open.
The exceptionally high flood level may continue until September 12, the Pakistan Meteorological Department stated in a press release.
As a consequence, Sargodha, Khushab, Jhang and Toba Tek Singh districts are likely to be inundated.
pakistan.shafaqna.com
