SUKKUR, Aug 12 President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday sought to fend off an outcry over his response to catastrophic floods by visiting a flood-hit area for the first time and handing out relief goods.

Mr Zardari came under fire from flood victims, the political opposition and critics for failing last week to cut short a visit to Europe to deal personally with what is now the country's worst humanitarian crisis.

The president, accompanied by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, federal Minister for Labour Syed Khurshid Shah, Senator Islamuddin Sheikh and other senior leaders of his party, visited Sukkur Barrage where he was briefed about the damage and relief efforts mounted by the government.

He was informed that 19 districts of Sindh had been badly hit by floodwaters. Some 188 villages were affected in Kashmore district, 148 in Sukkur, 108 in Shikarpur, 214 in Larkana, 97 in Shahdadkot, 48 in Naushehro Feroze, 223 in Shaheed Benazirabad, five in Dadu, 222 in Hyderabad and 35 in Tando Mohammad Khan district.

Breaches had developed at 100 places along the banks of the Indus. At least 618 relief camps had been set up to help the flood victims, he was told.

Speaking to flood victims at a camp set up in a college, Mr Zardari said the government was working diligently to provide relief to the affected. He expressed the hope that the nation would successfully meet the challenges it faced.

Mr Zardari also distributed relief goods among flood victims.Analysts warned that Mr Zardari's standing would improve only if the government brought the flood crisis under control quickly and improved the relief operation.—AFP