18 more die as hundreds evacuated from flood-hit areas
The floodwater torrent from Manchhar Lake on Wednesday inundated Indus Highway after submerging seven union councils as the authorities kept fighting on preventing the roaring lake from bursting its banks.
It is learnt that Larkana-Hyderabad Indus Highway has been inundated completely while the land connection of Dadu and Larkana with Sehwan and Hyderabad has been cut off.
“The Indus Highway from Wahar to Sehwan Toll Plaza is submerged. The police have blocked the road by erecting barriers,” the motorway police said.
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. 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 in 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.
Meanwhile, as many as 18 more people lost their lives and 17 others got injured as the Army helicopters carried out another 20 sorties to rescued hundreds of flood affectees.
This was said by the National Flood Response Coordination Centre in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Eighteen people lost their lives and 17 others got injured due to flash floods during last 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 25,96,769 medicine items have been distributed up till now.
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.
Pakistan Navy has established 16 x Flood Relief Coordination Centers and 06 x Central Collection Points all across the country, distributed 1127 Tons ration, 2532 x tents & 419577 liters mineral water in various districts. In addition, 02 x tent cities have also been established where 807 x families (2687 Personnel) have been accommodated.
Moreover, PN’s 23 x Emergency Response teams deployed in 10 x districts have rescued 12476 x stranded personnel.
