Heavy floods pose drowning threat to Dadu, other cities in Pakistan

Sindh [Pakistan], September 5 (ANI): Floodwater in Main Nara Valley (MNV) drain in Pakistan has surged to pose threat to Dadu and other cities and towns in the district, ARY News reported on Monday.

The people of the town have been advised to evacuate their families to a safer place as an upsurge in the floodwater is posing a serious threat of flooding in Dadu, Mehar and Juhi, sources said.

The water exerts pressure over the ring dykes of Mehar and Johi with the serious threat of drowning Johi town, according to ARY News.

In view of the serious situation, SHO Johi police has appealed the people to come out of the hotels immediately to join hands to save the city from flooding. “I will be forced to close hotels if you people do not reach the city’s ring embankment,” he warned to people.

Meanwhile, the officials are mulling over two more cuts in the lake to release the pressure of water and save major urban centres in the area from drowning. Floodwater still exerting pressure at the ring dykes of Johi, Mehar and Dadu cities.

Meanwhile, Pakistan government agencies and private NGOs continue with their relief operations described as a “humanitarian disaster of epic proportions”. Large parts of the country remain submerged – particularly the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh in the south. At least 180 people have died in Sindh followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (138) and Balochistan (125).

At least, 1,468,019 houses have been partially or totally damaged, while 7,36,459 livestock have been killed due to the floods.

As heavy monsoon rains and floods continue to create havoc in the country, early 1,300 people have lost their lives in different provinces of the country.

The death toll since June has reached 1,290 with 29 people dying in the last 24 hours, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Saturday, reported ARY News.

The southern province of Sindh, which has been badly hit by the flooding, has asked for 1 million tents, while nearby Balochistan province has requested 100,000 tents. Since mid-June, when the monsoon began, more than 3,000 kilometres (1,864 miles) of road, 130 bridges and 495,000 homes have been damaged, according to NDMA’s last situation report.

At least, 1,468,019 houses have been partially or totally damaged, while 736,459 livestock have been killed due to the floods.

The floods that have inundated a third of the country — affecting more than 33 million people — were preceded by four heatwaves and multiple raging forest fires, the disaster management chief told the high-level meeting, highlighting the effects of climate change in the South Asian nation. (ANI)