— Water level in Sukkur Barrage rises, touching new highs
— US lawmakers due to assess damage
— French aid arrives
ISLAMABAD: As a high-level flood passed through Sukkur Barrage on the Indus river and water levels persistently rose on Manchhar Lake in Dadu district, the prime minister on Saturday assured Murad Ali Shah, the chief minister of Sindh, of complete support of the federal government in the former’s effort to rescue and rehabilitate people in the flood-hit areas.
The development came a day after Dadu city was surrounded by floodwaters — with an inundated Khairpur Nathan Shah city to the north, Manchhar Lake to the south, the Main Nara Valley drain to the west, and the Indus river to the east.
In the Dadu district, several villages were under as much as 11 feet of water, according to Bashir Khan, a local resident who is in contact with people remaining in the area. “My house is underwater, I left my place four days ago with my family,” he told Reuters.
In neighbouring Mehar, residents were building a dyke in an attempt to prevent floodwaters from entering the town, he said.
During a telephonic conversation, Shah briefed Shehbaz Sharif on his government’s efforts to rescue the flood victims.
Sharif urged that no efforts should be spared to support the flood victims and also appreciated the efforts of the chief minister and Sindh government, his office said in a press statement.
Shah expressed his gratitude to the prime minister and the federal government for their concerns and support for the flood-affected people and assured he won’t disappoint the flood victims.
FRENCH AID ARRIVES
Meanwhile, a planeload of assistance meant for the flood-hit people sent by the government of France landed at the Islamabad airport. At the airport, Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel greeted Nicolas Galey, the French ambassador in Islamabad, who received the aid on Saturday.
Speaking to the media on the occasion, Patel said the government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) would not sit idle until the victims were rehabilitated.
On the occasion, he also acknowledged close ties between the two nations, stressing the need for a joint effort to mitigate the sufferings of the people hit by the natural calamity.
He added that Islamabad was grateful not only to Paris but also to the French people whose support showed they stood by the people of Pakistan in testing times.
Patel said the assistance also included medicines and motor pumps to drain out the floodwater. “Not only that French doctors have also reached here to look after the sick in the flood victims,” he added.
US LAWMAKERS ARRIVE TO ASSESS DAMAGE
Two members of the US Congress, Sheila Jackson Lee and Tom Suozzi, are due in Pakistan on Sunday to assess the damage caused by the floods.
The visit was announced by Lee in a press conference she held accompanied by Tahir Javed, a Pakistan-origin American businessman and member of the ruling Democratic Party.
In Pakistan, the lawmakers will call on the nation’s top leadership, she said. Javed said that after assessing the damage caused by the floods, he will press Washington to increase the assistance to Pakistan.
