Over 6,000 villages hit by flood in Sindh, Balochistan
By Iftikhar A. Khan
ISLAMABAD, July 13: Foreign donors have pledged over $6 million for the people hit by recent rains and floods. This was announced by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Farooq Ahmed Khan at a press briefing here on Friday. Major donors included the United States, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, Saudi Arabia and China, he said.
Gen Farooq said that Rs300 million had so far been disbursed as compensation in Balochistan and another Rs200 million in Sindh. He said Rs70.5 million had been given to district coordination officers and officials of health and livestock departments by the Sindh government.
He said the death toll from flash floods had climbed to 340. Giving a breakdown, he said 120 people had been killed in Sindh, 180 in Balochistan and 60 in the NWFP. He said 186 people had been reported missing, 29 in Sindh and 157 in Balochistan.
He said floods had affected 1,400 villages in Sindh and 5,000 in Balochistan. He said there were 73 camps in Shahdadkot and 24 in Dadu housing 12,344 and 10,000 people, respectively, adding that there were 9,000 people in 20 camps set up in Balochistan.
Meanwhile, an ISPR press release issued here on Friday said that breaches in the right bank outfall drain (RBOD) had affected approximately 150 villages in the Dadu district.
It said that water was flowing southward in the direction of the Manchar Lake. Water level had come down to nine feet at the Flood Protection Bund in Shahdadkot.
Over 50 people were evacuated and 7894 mixed ration packs were distributed among the affected people in Shahdadkot and some 3066 patients were treated in a medical camp on Thursday.
In Faridabad, three loaded trucks of mixed ration were distributed. In Turbat, Gwadar and Sibi, water level was receding. In Sibi 14 tons of relief items were distributed on Thursday, the press release said.
In Gwadar, eight tonnes and in Khuzdar four tonnes of ration were distributed on Thursday while relief operations also continued in Nal where troops continued their activities. Seven tonnes of relief goods and 1066 tents were distributed in Turbat, it added.
It further said that mobile medical teams comprising 60 military and civil doctors were treating people in Turbat and adjoining areas. In all, 20 medical camps were established by FC troops on Thursday and 1500 patients were treated on Friday.
Four sorties of C-130 aircraft were flown to Sibi, Jacobabad and Turbat on Thursday. Army Aviation helicopters flew 29 sorties to shift 214 people to safe places and distributed 24950 kilograms of relief goods in Sibi, Turbat, Jacobabad and Moenjodaro.
The press release said that the Mekran Costal Highway had been opened to traffic by the Frontier Works Organisation.
It said that Surab-Hoshab road and Lakpass-Dalbadin road had been opened and traffic was plying smoothly on the Sukkur-Sibbi-Quetta road.
The Noshki-Kharanj road had been opened to light traffic and army engineers were working to improve the condition of the road, the press release said.
The Karakoram Highway had been blocked at three locations, but the Frontier Works Organisation opened it on Thursday.
The press release said that Army Aviation helicopters flew 522 sorties since the relief and rescue operation began to shift thousands of people to safe places, besides distributing tonnes of relief goods among the affected people.
At least 106 sorties of C-130 aircraft were flown from Chaklala and Karachi to flood-hit areas of Balochistan and Sindh to shift thousands of tonnes of rations and other items, the press release said.
