Daily Times

Pakistan’s unprecedented floods, which have submerged huge swathes of the South Asian nation, have killed nearly 1,500 people, data showed on Thursday, as authorities looked to step up relief efforts for millions affected by the disaster.

On Thursday, five more deaths were reported from flood-hit areas, bringing the total number of casualties to 1,486, including 530 children and 298 women. Of the fresh fatalities, three were reported from Balochistan, whereas two people lost their lives in flood-related mishaps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) stated. A total of 638 people have died in Sindh since June 14, followed by 305 in KP, and 281 in Balochistan, according to the NDMA. It said 191 people have died in Punjab, 48 in Azad Kashmir, and 22 in Gilgit-Baltistan. Since June 14, a total of 12,748 people have been injured in the rain and flood-related incidents across the country. So far, over 1.76 million houses have been damaged, including 571,966 completely destroyed, while 918,473 livestock have perished. Currently, one-third of the country is under water as the massive rains and melting glaciers have caused the country’s main Indus River to overflow, inundating vast swaths of plains, and farms.

Destructive rains and floods have also washed away 12,718 kilometers of roads, 390 bridges and buildings across the country, which is already grappling with political and economic turmoil. Over 33 million of the country’s approximately 220 million population have been affected by the raging floods, causing a staggering loss of around $30 billion in damages to an already weakened infrastructure.

Almost 45% of the cropland has already been inundated by the floods, posing a serious threat to food security and further adding to the already skyrocketing inflation.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are also dealing with outbreaks of waterborne, skin and eye diseases, with health experts warning of a higher number of deaths from diarrhea, gastrointestinal, typhoid, malaria dengue, and other infections than from rains and floods.

So far, Pakistan has received 96 flights of humanitarian aid from Türkiye, the UAE, China, the US, Uzbekistan, France, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Nepal, Turkmenistan, UNICEF, UNHCR and the World Food Program.

Meanwhile, the water level in the main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD), commonly known as Right Bank Outfall Drain-I, at RD-10 upstream Manchhar Lake, started to decrease on Thursday as officials confirmed the intensity of floodwater also subsided to some extent in Dadu district. However, they would not take any chances and said they would maintain a strict vigil on the drain to stave off any emergency.

Sindh has been particularly hit hard by floods, with the province’s Manchhar Lake – the largest freshwater lake in the country – witnessing a surge in its water level in recent days as floodwaters from the north and hill torrents from Balochistan flow southwards, leaving behind a trail of deaths and destruction.

Dadu Deputy Commissioner Syed Murtaza Ali Shah said the discharge of water from the MNV drain into the Manchhar Lake was continuing and expressed hopes the water level would further decrease in the days to come. The DC said the locals and the civil administration were constantly monitoring the MNV drain so as to deal with any emergency.

According to the official in charge of the irrigation cell for Manchhar Lake, Sher Mohammad Mallah, water was being released from the lake into River Indus through the LS Dam.

“The water level in Manchhar has decreased from 121.9 feet RL to 121.7 feet RL,” he said.

Mehar Assistant Commissioner Mohsin Shaikh told media that the water level at the ring bund of Mehar had decreased by a foot. He said a similar decrease had also been witnessed in the surroundings of Khairpur Nathan Shah and Johi areas.