Pakistan orders more evacuations as flood waters rise

Flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains across much of Pakistan have killed nearly 1,000 people and injured and displaced thousands more since mid-June, officials said on Saturday. Authorities ordered thousands of people living near flood-swollen rivers in northern areas to evacuate their homes as rivers had still not reached maximum capacity. Pakistan has been hit with particularly heavy rains this year and rescuers have struggled to evacuate thousands of marooned people from flood-hit areas. The crisis has forced the government to declare a state of emergency, mobilise the army for relief efforts and call for international assistance. The National Disaster Management Authority in its latest overnight report said 45 people were killed in flood-related incidents from Friday to Saturday. That brought the death toll since mid-June to 982, with 1,456 injured. Thousands of people whose homes were swept away now live in tents, miles away from their inundated villages and towns, after being rescued by soldiers, local disaster workers and volunteers. In north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, flooding destroyed the gates of a major water control system on the Swat River, leading to flooding in Charsadda and Nowshera districts. “We pre-empted the situation and warned and forced hesitating residents to leave their homes for safety and move to relief camps established at government buildings in safe places,” said Sania Safi, a top administrator in Charsadda. Ms Safi said there was concern of further rising of the Swat and Kabul rivers, adding to the misery of residents who have already suffered the loss of lives and property. In Nowshera, local administrator Quratul Ain Wazir said flood waters submerged streets before the gushing towards low-lying areas. “Our administration has evacuated many people and taken others to relief camps where government provided beds and food in safe buildings,” she said. “We will use police to force those hesitant to leave their homes.” Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said soldiers and rescue organisations were helping people to reach safety in many districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in Sindh province in the south, Punjab in the east and Balochistan in the south-west. “Government has sanctioned sufficient funds to financially compensate the affected people and we will not leave our people alone in this tough time,” she said. She urged wealthy people and relief organisations to come forward with aid. The United Nations plans to launch a $160 million flash appeal for donations on August 30 in response to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's plea for help, foreign ministry spokesman Asim Iftikhar said. The flooding could not come at a worse time for Pakistan, whose economy is in free fall and whose politics are gripped by crisis following the ousting of former prime minister Imran Khan by a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April. According to the NDMA, more than two million acres of cultivated crops have been wiped out since the rains started in June, while 3,100 kilometres of roads have been destroyed and 149 bridges have been washed away. In Balochistan, the provincial disaster management authority spokesman Asadullah Nasir said all 34 districts were badly affected by the heavy rains and flooding. Road networks were destroyed and bridges washed away. Relief work is possible only with helicopters, which are often unable to operate because of the bad weather, he said. He said officials had confirmed 235 deaths but the number was expected to increase significantly after communications are restored. The rains are expected to continue, mainly in the south and south-west. The monsoon season in Pakistan usually runs from July to mid September. Officials say this year's floods are comparable to 2010, the worst on record, when more than 2,000 people died and nearly a fifth of the country was under water. They blame the devastation on man-made climate change, saying Pakistan is unfairly bearing the consequences of irresponsible environmental practices elsewhere in the world. Pakistan is eighth on the Global Climate Risk Index, a list compiled by the environmental NGO Germanwatch of countries deemed most vulnerable to extreme weather caused by climate change. With reporting from AP and AFP

Pakistan orders more evacuations as flood waters rise

Death toll from heavy monsoon rains and flooding since June reaches nearly 1,000