Islamabad: Pakistan armed forces have rescued further 2,000 people stranded by rising floodwater that continues wreaking havoc across the country.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), record monsoonal rains and melting glaciers in the northern Himalayas caused floods that have so far killed at least 1,208 people, including 416 children.
Pakistan’s navy has spread out the interior to conduct relief efforts in regions that resemble a sea, prompting the United Nations to issue an appeal for $160 million in aid to help combat what it called an “unprecedented climate catastrophe.”
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As much as 11 feet (3.35 metres) of water was submerged beneath certain villages in Sindh’s Dadu district, one of the worst-affected provinces, according to Bashir Khan, a local who is in touch with those who have remained in the area.
In neighbouring Mehar, residents were constructing a dike to prevent floodwaters from entering the town, he said.
The navy airlifted more than 150 people from villages in Dadu on Thursday, it said in a statement.
On Friday, the military said it had evacuated about 50,000 people, including 1,000 by air since rescue efforts began.
“During the last 24 hours, 1,991 stranded individuals have been evacuated,” the armed forces said in a statement, adding that nearly 163 tonnes of relief supplies had also been delivered to the flood-affected.
Several humanitarian relief flights are set to arrive on Friday from Middle Eastern nations such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan’s foreign office said.
Weather officials predict more rains and flash flooding in the month of September, with southern regions bracing for a surge of water from the Indus river.
Sindh has asked relief camps to deploy additional female doctors and medical officers, to ensure adequate care as more pregnant women and young mothers are displaced by the waters.
Pakistan received nearly 190% more rain than its 30-year average in the quarter from June to August, totalling 390.7mm (15.38 inches).
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