DADU/QUETTA/SUKKUR: Floodwater torrent from Manchhar Lake on Wednesday inundated Indus Highway and submerging seven union councils while 18 people lost their lives and 17 others got injured in various flood-related incidents during past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 1,343 since June 14, throughout the country.
The armed forces including Pakistan Navy and PAF intensified its relief and rehabilitation operation across the country.
According NDMA and Sindh PDMA authorities, the authorities have been engaged in fighting to prevent the roaring lake from bursting its banks.
The officials said Larkana-Hyderabad Indus Highway was submerged completely while the land link of Dadu and Larkana with Sehwan and Hyderabad was cut off. “The Indus Highway from Wahar to Sehwan Toll Plaza is submerged and he police blocked the road by erecting barriers to avoid any damage,” the police said.
Mohenjo-Daro Airport closed
The Mohenjo-Daro Airport, which has been lying closed for three years, is adding to the problems of people who are stranded in their areas due to the closure of main roads amid floods.
The Larkana-Hyderabad-Karachi Indus Highway is blocked due to floodwater. Similarly, the Sukkur-Sukrand-Hyderabad National Highway is also closed for traffic due to inundation.
The locals have demanded that the flight operation at Mohenjo-Daro Airport should be resumed immediately.
The flood-hit people in Khairpur Nathan Shah, living on the roofs of their houses, hungry and thirsty, are still waiting for aid.
They told the media that no one had informed them about the floodwater torrent which inundated their area, leaving them stranded on the roofs of their houses.
They added that dozens of stranded people were falling prey to different diseases including malaria and diarrhea. “Due to the lack of medical facilities, the lives of many people are at risk,” they expressed concern.
Situation in other areas of Sindh
Jama Lakheer Goth of Dadu district has been inundated completely, and the people are moving from one place to another on the charpoys tied to drums.
The floodwater has wreaked havoc on the villages of Tando Muhammad Khan. The locals have moved to safer places.
The floodwater has also submerged hundreds of villages in Jhangra area of Benazirabad.
18 more die as hundreds more evacuated from flood-hit areas
As many as 18 more people lost their lives and 17 others got injured as the Army helicopters carried out another 20 sorties to rescue hundreds of flood affectees.
This was said by the National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NRCC) in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The NFRCC informed that 18 people lost their lives and 17 others got injured due to flash floods during past 24 hours throughout the country. The flood death toll has now risen to 1,343 while the number of injured persons stood at 12,720. So far 383 Army Aviation helicopters sorties have been flown to various areas for evacuation of stranded people. In last 24 hours, 20 sorties have been flown and evacuated 217 stranded individuals and delivered 30 tons of relief items to the flood affectees. Moreover, uptil now 3,847 stranded individuals have been evacuated through helicopter sorties.
So far 147 Relief Camps in Sindh, South Punjab and Balochistan and 278 Relief Items Collection Points have been established across the country for collection and onward distribution of relief stores for flood affectees. Up till now 4,973 Tons of food items along with 925 tons of sustenance items and 28,50,229 medicine items have been collected so far. 4377.9 tons of food and 887 tons of sustenance items and 2,596,769 medicine items have been distributed up till now.
The MFRCC said that more than 250 medical camps established so far in which more than 98,551 patients have been treated all across the country and provided 3-5 days’ free medicine. Ration and other sustenance items collected through Army Relief Items Collection Points distributed in Sindh (287 Tons), Bln (125.7 Tons), KP (100 Tons) & South Punjab (35 Tons) 1200 Tents procured by Pak Army have arrived Pakistan for onwards distribution to flood affectees, the NFRCC said.
On the other hand, Pakistan Navy established 16 Flood Relief Coordination Centers and 06 Central Collection Points all across the country. The Navy also distributed 1127 Tons ration including 2,532 tents and 419,577 liters mineral water in various districts. In addition, two tent cities have also been established where 807 families (2,687 personnel) have been accommodated.
Moreover, PN’s 23 Emergency Response teams (ERTs) deployed in 10 districts have rescued 12,476 stranded people. These ERTs are equipped with 48 motorized boats and 2 Hovercraft, which can be operated both in water and land and is considered most suitable platform for such kind of operations.
Pakistan Navy has also deployed 2 helicopters in interior Sindh and up till now, in 43 sorties, these helicopters rescued 440 stranded people and distributed five tons of ration while eight diving teams of Pak Navy have also carried out 24 diving operations in affected areas across the country.
The Pak Navy also established 42 medical camps in which 29,664 patients have been treated till to date. On the other hand, Pakistan Air Force also conducted 75 C-130, 81 MI-17, 34 AW-139 air sorties, rescued 1,521 personnel, distributed 3,083 tents, 155,897 food packets, 1341,727kg ration, 152,117 liters water, and established 19 tent cities, accommodating 13,295 people, 50 relief camps and 41 medical camps in which 35,780 patients have been treated across the country so far.
At present, PAF is fully engaged in relief and rehabilitation in different cities of Sindh including Nawabshah, Sukkur, Mirpur Khas, Talhaar, Jacobabad, Sehwan, Perpatho while in Baclochistan, Samungli, Qilla Abdulllah and Qilla Saifulllah. Similarly in Punjab, the PAF has been carrying out relief operation in Rajanpur and DG Khan while in GB, the PAF is busy with relief and rehabilitation in Gilgit Skardu, Ghizer, Naltar, Ganche and Nowshera, Charsadda, Kheshgi, Saidu Sharif, Shangla and Laram areas of KPK.
Meanwhile, the Met office forecast mainly hot and humid weather in most parts of the country along with rain and thundershower at few locations in KP & GB.
According to Met office report, mainly hot and humid weather is expected in most parts of the country – partly cloudy weather is expected at few locations in upper KP, AJ&K & GB.
Contagious diseases cases on rise in flood-hit areas
An outbreak of contagious diseases has surfaced in flood-hit areas, citing sources ARY News reported on Wednesday. “In last 24 hours, 87,373 cases of infectious diseases have been reported,” according to sources. “Most of the cases being reported from the flood-ravaged areas of Sindh,” sources said.
“Overall, 14,686 cases of diarrhea have been reported across the country in last 24 hours, 10,802 cases of the disease were reported from Sindh,” sources said.
“Diarrhea also rapidly spreading in flood-stricken areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan,” according to sources. In Balochistan 1890 cases and KP 1382 cases of the contagious disease reported.
Punjab has reported 612 cases of diarrhea in 24 hours.
Total, 20016 cases of skin infection reported in flood victims in a day. Sindh reported 16,107 cases of skin infection, while Balochistan 1802 and KP 1168 patients of skin infection, sources said.
In last 24 hours 15,532 cases of lung infection reported in flood-hit areas, 11,190 cases of them in Sindh, 1749 cases in Balochistan, 1374 cases in Punjab and 1219 cases of lung infections were reported from KP, according to sources.
Overall, 655 cases of eye infection were reported in flood hit areas of the country. Moreover, 384 suspected cases of typhoid reported from the flood-stricken areas, according to sources.
In last 24 hours, five cases of snakebite were reported in these areas, three of them in Sindh and two in Balochistan.
Moreover, 34,749 cases of other diseases were also reported from flood-hit areas in last 24 hours, sources added.
