ISLAMABAD: Army Chief General Raheel Sharif has directed all field commanders of the Pakistan Army to extend all possible assistance to people in areas affected by floods.

“All field commanders have been instructed to carry out effective reconnaissance of their areas and provide all possible relief to people affected by floods,” said a spokesperson from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Read: Most of Chitral paralysed by flash floods

“All corps headquarters are monitoring the flood situation in their respective areas of responsibility, and have made preparations to deal with any eventuality arising due to expected floods,” the ISPR spokesperson added.

Pakistan Army has continued its rescue and relief operations in the worst hit areas of Chitral district, where the army and the Frontier Corps (FC) distributed 16 tons of ration with the help of local civil administration, the spokesperson elaborated further.

Army troops have rescued 73 civilians from the worst hit areas in Chitral district, and have also dedicated two helicopters for relief and rescue operations.

Also read: Relief operations under way in flood-hit areas

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had also instructed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to reinforce relief and rescue efforts.

Roads, bridges and water schemes were washed away in Chitral district as heavy rains triggered flash floods washed away a number of villages. More than a hundred villages have been affected by floods in various districts of Punjab whereas 200 villages along the River Indus have been evacuated.

Pakistan has suffered from monsoon floods for the last few years and has been criticised for not doing enough to mitigate against the dangers posed by seasonal rains washing away homes and farmland.

Further reading: River Indus in medium flood

In 2010, the worst floods in the country's history killed almost 1,800 people and affected 21 million.