Rescuers in Pakistan scramble to save residents as rivers reach dangerous levels
Many displaced residents have moved in with relatives, while others are spending sleepless nights on embankments after their homes were submerged.
Rescuers backed by the military have raced to evacuate thousands of people from flooded villages near the city of Jalalpur Pirwala in eastern Pakistan, officials said, as authorities struggled to shore up embankments against rising waters.
The flooding has affected nearly 142,000 people in the area, relief commissioner Nabil Javed said.
Many displaced residents have moved in with relatives, while others are spending sleepless nights on embankments or in relief camps after their homes were submerged.
On Wednesday, rescue crews in boats were seen crisscrossing the waters, pulling people from trees and rooftops. But many stranded villagers complained that those who could afford private boats escaped quickly, leaving the poor to wait for rescuers.
Since August 23, about 4,000 villages across Punjab have been submerged, affecting more than 4.2 million people, displacing 2.1 million and killing at least 68 after heavier-than-normal monsoon rains and repeated releases of water from overflowing Indian dams, according to the Punjab Disaster Management Authority.
“Those who could pay owners of private boats have already left the village,” said survivor Bilal Ahmed, who spoke from a relief camp. He said food supplies are scarce and displaced families receive only one meal a day.
At roadside tents, families waited for food as children cried and women whispered prayers for the waters to recede, hoping for a miracle.
Torrential rains on Wednesday also flooded streets in Karachi, the capital of the southern province of Sindh. Officials warned that water from swollen rivers will flow into Sindh this week, raising fears of damage downstream.
On Wednesday, bulldozers and heavy machinery were reinforcing embankments around Jalalpur Pirwala in a desperate attempt to protect the city of about 700,000. Authorities said that if the city is breached, hundreds of thousands of lives could be at risk.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers are all in high flood, with water levels reaching the danger mark. Jalalpur Pirwala lies at the confluence of the Chenab and Sutlej rivers before they flow south towards Sindh, where evacuations are under way in anticipation of flooding.
Irfan Ali Kathia, director general of the provincial disaster management authority, said he was confident the city would be saved.
“More rescue boats have been dispatched,” he said, but he blamed villagers for ignoring repeated warnings. An Associated Press reporter saw families standing knee-deep in muddy water waiting for rescue boats.
Since late June, flooding has killed more than 900 people across Pakistan.
