Pope Francis on Sunday (August 28) appealed international community to help flood-hit Pakistan. The deadly floods have already killed more than 1000 people till now. The Pope appealed for “prompt and generous international solidarity”, and said he was praying for the victims. He spoke in the Italian city of L’Aquila. The city was hit by earthquake that killed more than 300 people in 2009.
Southern regions of Pakistan are bracing for a fresh deluge due to swollen rivers in the northern part of the country.
The mighty Indus River that courses through Pakistan’s second-most populous region Sindh is fed by dozens of mountain tributaries to the north, but many have burst their banks following record rains and glacier melt.
Government officials have warned of torrents of water that are likely to reach Singh in next few days. This is sure to add to troubles of millions who are already affected by the floods.
In pics | Flood havoc in Pakistan; thousands forced to flee their homes
“Right now, Indus is in high flood,” said Aziz Soomro, the supervisor of Sukkur Barrage — a massive colonial-era construction that regulates the river’s flow and redirects water to a vast system of canals.
The annual monsoon is essential for irrigating crops and replenishing lakes and dams across the Indian subcontinent, but it also brings destruction.
Officials say this year’s monsoon flooding has affected more than 33 million people — one in seven Pakistanis — destroying or badly damaging nearly a million homes.
On Sunday, Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority said the death toll from the monsoon rains had reached 1,033, with 119 killed in the previous 24 hours.
(With inputs from agencies)
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