ISLAMABAD: More than 1.2 million people were affected, while some 3,093 villages and 8,658 houses were damaged due to floods in various areas of the country, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) spokesman said on Friday.

The recent floods killed 170 people, while 122 persons sustained injuries due to floods related incident, he said.

According to the NDMA spokesman, as many as 3,093 villages have been affected in floods, of which 2,278 are situated in Sindh, 512 in Punjab, 17 in Azad Kashmir and 286 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

About 449,460 persons have been affected by floods in Punjab, 625,641 in Sindh and 136,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Out of 8,658 flood damaged houses, 3,439 houses have been destroyed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 3,153 in Punjab 798 in Balochistan, 321 in Azad Kashmir, 812 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 162 houses have been damaged in Fata.

Armed Forces carry out rescue and relief operations

Pakistan Navy teams rescued another 868 people including women and children from flood-hit areas of Sindh since Thursday.

Over 19,534 people have been evacuated during the flood relief operation launched on July 27, a statement said on Friday.

"Navy resolves to stand by its brethren in this hour of need and is determined to take every possible step to lessen the miseries of populace in flood stricken areas," it said.

In continuation of relief operations for flood-affected people of Chitral, a Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft carrying relief goods reached Chitral on Friday.

The aircraft also evacuated the injured along with 45 flood affected people from Chitral.

Pakistan Air Force has already airlifted more than twenty-five tons of dry ration comprising flour, rice, pulses, oil, milk, tea, sugar and mineral water to the flood victims of Chitral.

Meanwhile, presiding over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Flood in Lahore, Chairman Cabinet Committee on Flood, Colonel (retd) Shuja Khanzada, said all DCOs and DPOs should take special steps for maintaining law and order and protecting life and property of people in their respective areas, while also stressing upon the senior officers of Rescue Service 1122 to spare no effort in rescuing flood victims.

He directed the Punjab Disaster Management Authority and all other relevant departments to meet the demands of manpower and relief items by DCOs of flood-hit districts.

Meanwhile, in Peshawar, Amir Jamat-e-Islami Sirajul Haq demanded devolution of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), saying that PDMA's role in disaster management has been seen 'nowhere in Chitral' and other affected areas of the province.

"PDMA is nothing more than an NGO, which concentrates more on the decoration of its office and sitting at luxury rooms while doing nothing to cope with the disaster and similar is the role of NDMA which is waiting to provide coffins to the people who die in disasters," he told Media after arriving from the flood affected areas of Chitral.

However, DCO Muzaffargarh, Shaukat Ali said, "The water level in the river Indus is receding remarkably and flood-hit people would return to their homes soon."

Free boat service was available to people while three-time meals and other items are being provided to them, he apprised a meeting held to review rehabilitation activities in different parts of the district.