Islamabad, MINA – The death toll from the monsoon floods that hit Pakistan has surpassed 1,000, with 119 dead in the past 24 hours, the country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Sunday.
Since June, the death toll from flooding has reached 1,033 people. The NDMA warned of “very high” flooding in some areas along the Kabul and Indus Rivers, particularly in Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and Kalabagh and Chashma in Punjab province.
As quoted from Al Jazeera, large parts of the country remain submerged – particularly the provinces of Balochistan, KP and Sindh in the south – as heavy rains continue to hit parts of the country. At least 347 people died in Sindh, followed by Balochistan (238) and KP (226).
The annual monsoons are crucial for irrigating crops and replenishing lakes and dams across the Indian subcontinent, but each year also brings waves of destruction. This year, rainfall in some areas is 600 percent higher than average.
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Officials say this year’s catastrophic floods have affected more than 33 million people – one in seven Pakistanis – destroying crops, livestock and nearly a million homes.
The NDMA said more than 809,000 hectares (two million hectares) of cultivated crops had been destroyed, 3,451 kilometers (2,150 miles) of roads destroyed, and 149 bridges washed away.
Meanwhile, the government has declared the devastating floods a “national emergency” and is seeking help from friendly countries. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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