floods across the country
 

Hundreds of homes and vast swathes of farmland were destroyed in the northwest and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, with the main highway to China reportedly cut and communities isolated as monsoon rains caused flash floods and landslides.around 2,800 Pakistani holidaymakers had been stranded in the Swat valley, where the military maintains a heavy presence after a massive operation against Taliban insurgents last year.

“This is the worst ever flood in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the country’s history,” provincial information minister [B]Mian Iftikhar Hussain [/B]said Friday.
The Karakoram Highway, which links Pakistan to China, was closed as rains washed away a bridge in Shangla district, also cutting off Gilgit-Baltistan from other parts of the country,
Pakistan has been hardest hit but monsoon rains have also killed 25 people in the province of Balochistan over the past few days,

Salamona
 

again forgot the people of Baluchistan,the stranded sighing for relief,,,,,,bogged down by natural disaster to an extent of no return.l.....

Death Toll Rises to 800 as Floods Hit Pakistan.
(Allah rehm)

2010.

1. The summary of damages occurred so far in the province are as under:-
a. Dead - 290+
b. Injured - 96
c. Missing - 83
d. Evacuated - 2800+

2. RELIEF ACTIVITIES. Updated relief activities are as under:-
a. Helicopter Operation
(1) On 29 Jul due to bad weather only 5 helicopters could operate and evacuated 146 individuals.

(2) On 30 Jul 21x Helicopters are operating in the area. 4 x more Helicopters from PAF/ Ministry of Interior will join the relief efforts tomorrow.

b. Miscellaneous Activities
(1) 150 boats are operating in the area, apart from locally arranged boats while 25 more boats will arrive by tomorrow.

(2) Allocation of Rs 21 Million by the Provincial Government for relief operation for the flood affectees.

(3) Distribution of 4950 Mixed Ration Packs amongst the affected population.

(4) Release of 600 Tents and 4500 Sand Bags by Provincial Government; whereas ERC has provided 2000 Tents, 15000 Ration Packs, 5000 Blankets, 5000 Plastic Mats and 3000 Jackets. Additionally, 5000 Tents and 10,000 Plastic Mats are also being provided through ERC.

(5) All available military troops in the affected areas are taking part in the relief activities.

(6) 1 x Engineer Battalion has been moved to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

(7) Transportation of 9 Naval boats have reached Risalpur from Karachi.


(8) 90 x Navy personnals alongwith 10 sucking engine and 8 diving sets have reached Risalpur.

(9) PRCS has completed its assessment mission and will undertake relief activities w.e.f. 30 July 2010.

(10) UN country teams have been requested for assessment of the situation and contribute in the relief efforts.

(11) Stranded tourists (3000) are being evocated.

(12) PM visited the affected area followed by conference in PM Secretariat and issued detailed instructions to concerned Departments/Ministries for helping government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in all respects.

[B]Floods caused by a week of heavy rain have killed more than 1,000 people in Pakistan[/B]
* A westerly weather system moving in from Iran and Afghanistan, combined with heavy monsoon rain, caused the worst floods on record in Pakistan.

* The level of devastation is so widespread, so large, it is quite possible that in many areas there are damages, there are deaths which may not have been reported," army spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas told reporters late on Saturday.

* More than 30,000 Pakistani army troops have rescued over 19,000 people from the marooned areas but officials conceded some might still be trapped and awaiting help in remote areas including Kohistan, Nowshera, Dir and in the Swat valley.

* There is now a real danger of the spread of water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, asthma, skin allergies and perhaps cholera in these areas.

A national disaster
 

Every province of the country, along with Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, has been struck by the unusual severity of the July 2010 monsoon. Some have been struck harder than others with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa currently bearing the brunt of fatalities and damage; but downstream troubles await Sindh as the floodwaters surge down the Indus river system. This is no localised disaster, this is going to affect virtually everybody in the country either directly or indirectly and its impact is going to be felt for months and years to come. The scale of the problem is such that in places the rescue and disaster response machinery has been overwhelmed both literally and metaphorically. Although there will be local failures to effectively organise or coordinate efforts, overall this event has to be seen in the context of a massive disaster such as an earthquake – but affecting far more people over a much greater area.

There are calls from all sides for helicopters and relief be it food, water or medicines. The number of helicopters we have that are suitable for flood relief work is probably no more than eight, ten at most. The relief that helicopters can provide is extremely limited – they cannot mass-evacuate casualties for instance, and their load-carrying capacity is too small to make a significant difference. There may be little point in relocating the majority of victims to camps because the floods will recede almost as rapidly as they rose once the monsoon abates. Camps are complex to set up and administer and would have a very short life anyway. There is no high ground for people to evacuate to in most of Sindh and Punjab, similar in much of Balochistan where the thin population is concentrated around river banks. We need fast short term help, especially helicopters, along with large quantities of water purification kits which can be air-dropped and culturally appropriate meal packs which can also be air-delivered. Mobile health teams which can be river-capable and portable health units that are air or water transportable – all of this we need soon. The real work will be done once the waters recede and the dead are buried. Homes, crops, livelihoods, infrastructure such as roads, bridges and water management systems – all are going to need to be rebuilt in all the provinces and this out of provincial and federal budgets that are already stretched. The 2010 monsoon has brought damage and loss of life on a scale beyond living memory. We need to ensure that if it happens again – and it might – we are better prepared than we were this time around.

Flood in Rahim Yar Khan
 

Raging flood water is heading towards Abadpur and Chacheran Sharif in District Rahim Yar Khan after breaking a protective embankment on the River Sindh.
The District adminstration has ordered immediate evacuation of Chachran Sharif. But the locals are not leaving the area despite repeated warnings and announcements.
Rojhan city is also under threat by flood water as it is feared that rising water levels may damage a dyke. The flood-stricken people have protested against the government for not providing adequate relief.