ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has evacuated some 378,426 persons and shifted to safer places owing to flooding in the Sutlej River which now is in medium flood level. Moreover 20,319 livestock have also been evacuated.
According to the latest data released by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Sutlej River at Ganda Singh Wala and Sulemanki is at medium flood level and on decreasing trend. The affected districts include Kasur, Okara, Bahawalnagar, Pakpattan, Vehari, Bahawalpur, and Lodhran.
According to officials of the Federal Flood Commission (FFC) and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Punjab, the government has deployed 1,408 rescue persons with 396 boats to evacuate the people and shift them to safer places.
India releases more water into River Sutlej
With the issuance of timely early warning/ advisory and pro-active engagement of all stakeholders by the NDMA, coordinated evacuation of vulnerable/ at-risk population from low-lying areas adjacent to River Sutlej has been ensured in districts, Kasur, Okara, Bahawalnagar, Pak Pattan, Vehari, Bahawalpur, and Lodhran.
According to authorities, all the rivers other than Sutlej are flowing normally while during the next 24 hours, the weather forecast in most parts of the country excluding Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) will remain hot and humid. The Met Office has predicted rains with thunderstorms in AJK and G-B.
The government of Punjab has setup 249 medical camps for the affected population, wherein, within the past one week 46,597 people have been treated. Moreover, 318 relief camps have been also established for the affected people and 71,554 food packets have been distributed among the evacuated people.
According to the NDMA report, in the past 24 hours, four more people including two men and two women sustained injuries owing to house collapse as a result of heavy rains in district Kotli of AJK and one house was fully destroyed.
The officials said that the affected districts are major maize, cotton, paddy and vegetable producing region of the country and floods have caused serious damage to the standing crops but at this point, monetary losses cannot be measured; however, after receding of water flows, the authorities will calculate the damage to the crops and property.
Officials said that the unprecedented high floods in River Sutlej have submerged thousands of acres of land besides cutting off road access to dozens of villages in the affected districts.
An official of the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) said that the situation will continue for another three to four days as India is releasing excessive water from Pong and Bakhra dams daily, maintaining exceptionally high flood levels in the River Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala.
The ongoing floods triggered by monsoon so far have resulted in the deaths of 213 people, injuring 313, destroying 5,754 houses and killing 1,256 livestock during the current rainy season that started on June 25, 2023, provisional figures released by the NDMA revealed.
Out of a total of 5,754 damaged houses, 2,019 are completely destroyed and 3,736 are partially damaged. The floodwaters have also swept away a total of five bridges, of which, four in Balochistan and one in G-B, as well as, sweeping away 23.82 kilometres of roads, of which, 22 kilometres in Balochistan and 1.82 kilometres in G-B.
Most of the houses are damaged in Balochistan, wherein, a total of 4,193 houses are damaged, of which, 1,762 are fully destroyed and 2,431 are partially damaged, followed by 571 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), of which,110 are fully destroyed and 461 are partially damaged. In the AJK region, a total of 465 houses are damaged, of which, 105 are fully destroyed and 361 are partially damaged.
The torrential monsoon rains resulted in the loss of 1,256 livestock, of which, 697 in Balochistan, 285 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), 213 in Sindh, 37 in G-B, 21 in AJK and three in Punjab.
According to the NDMA’s data, the majority of the deaths are reported in Punjab where so far a total of 73 people including 33 men, 12 women, and 28 children have lost their lives, while another 165 people including 72 men, 52 women, and 41 children have sustained injuries. Moreover, 82 houses are also damaged in Punjab, of which, 77 partially and five fully destroyed and three livestock are also killed.
In KPK, 60 people including 17 men, nine women and 34 children have lost their lives owing to various rains-related incidents. In KPK,87 people including 36 men, 19 women, and 32 children have been injured.
In Sindh province, 24 people including 10 men, four women, and 10 children died owing to rain-related incidents. The NDMA, so far, reported 10 injuries from Sindh, of which, five men, four women, and one child and a total of 342 houses are damaged, of which, 18 fully and 324 partially.
In Balochistan, a total of 21 people including eight men, five women, and eight children lost their lives, wherein, 27 people including 17 men, three women, and seven children sustained injuries.
In Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 11 men have lost their lives owing to the floodwaters and five men sustained injuries, no house has been damaged in Islamabad and no cattle loss is reported from the federal capital.
In the G-B region, floodwaters have killed seven people including three men, three women, and one child, while two men sustained injuries in the G-B- region and 37 livestock losses are also reported in the G-B region.
The authorities have reported 17 deaths in the AJK region, including four men, seven women, and six children.
In the AJK, 17 people including 10 men and seven women also sustained injuries. Floodwaters have killed 21 cattle in the AJK region.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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