|
Pakistain: Thousands Evacuated from Sindh Floods
 Authorities evacuated tens of thousands from flood-threatened areas in the south on Sunday, but insisted that the 2.5 million people of Hyderabad were safe from the country's worst-ever floods."Yeah. Sure. Nuttin' to worry about." The civilian government has faced an outpouring of fury over sluggish relief efforts, ... a symptom of the Pak government's well-known ineptitude... while officials are warning that the country faces ruinous economic losses of up to $43 billion, ahead of IMF talks this week. The month-long floods have killed 1,500 people and affected up to 20 million nationwide, according to official tallies, with the threat of disease ever-present in the camps sheltering penniless survivors. A four-foot wide breach in Shahdadkot protective dike on Sunday submerged another two villages with water, leaving some 200 people stranded. Rising: The Indus River is in very high flood at Kotri Barrage as the water level continues to surge. According to the Flood Forecasting Division (FFD), water outflow at Kotri has been recorded at 821,900 cusecs. Similarly, the outflow of water at Guddu Barrage has been recorded at 789,400 cusecs. Trying to protect: "We are right now trying to protect Shahdadkot, which is threatened by the rising floodwaters," Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Saifullah Dharejo said. He said an embankment built to protect the city was under pressure from the waters and "we are trying to save the city from the unprecedented flood". Dharejo said the Sindh government had already escorted most of Shahdadkot's 100,000 population to safety, AFP reported. "But there are still some people stranded in these villages (around Shahdadkot) and we are making efforts to rescue them," he added. Posted by: Fred 2010-08-23 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=303959 |