KARACHI, Aug 26 The city of Hyderabad and its adjoining areas (Latifabad and Qasimabad) had been saved from the devastating floods just because of the efforts of the workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, claimed former Karachi nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal on Thursday.

Mr Kamal, who is the head of it's flood relief operations, was briefing newsmen at the head office of the MQM's charity wing — the Khidmat-i-Khalq Foundation — about its relief activities. He said that a large number of party workers worked round-the-clock to strengthen a 12-kilometre stretch of embankment of the Indus River to save Hyderabad, Latifabad and Qasimabad from a possible disaster.

Screening the footage of the work in which a number of people were seen placing large stones and gunny bags along the path of the river, Mr Kamal claimed that there was no example of mobilisation of political workers on such a large scale to prevent residential areas from the country's worst-ever natural disaster. He said the MQM had set up field hospitals in Sukkur, Kashmore and Shikarpur where thousands of people were being given medical aid. The KKF was also planning to set up a field hospital in Dera Murad Jamali, which at present was not accessible through land routes.

Other members of the MQM coordination committee, including Shoaib Bukhari and Wasey Jalil, were also present.