Massive relief operation under way as flood death toll rises

SUKKUR:

A huge relief operation was under way Monday and international aid began trickling in as Pakistan struggled to deal with monsoon flooding that has affected more than 33 million people.

Officials said 1,061 people have died since June when the seasonal rains began, but the final toll could be higher as hundreds of villages in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have been cut off by flood-swollen rivers washing away roads and bridges.

Officials said this year's flooding has affected more than 33 million people -- one in seven Pakistanis -- destroying or badly damaging nearly a million homes.

Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman called it "the monster monsoon of the decade".

This year's floods are comparable to 2010 -- the worst on record -- when more than 2,000 people died and nearly a fifth of the country was under water.

Read: Nawabshah pivotal point for flood relief, says Faisal Edhi

Near Sukkur, home to an ageing colonial-era barrage on the Indus River that is vital to preventing further catastrophe, one farmer lamented the devastation wrought on his rice fields.

Millions of acres of rich farmland have been flooded by weeks of non-stop rain, but now the Indus is threatening to burst its banks as a result of torrents of water coursing downstream from tributaries in the north.

"Our crop spanned over 5,000 acres on which the best quality rice was sown and is eaten by you and us," Khalil Ahmed, 70, told AFP.

"All that is finished."

Much of Sindh is now an endless landscape of water, hampering a massive military-led relief operation.

"There are no landing strips or approaches available... our pilots find it difficult to land," one senior officer told AFP.

The army's helicopters were also struggling to pluck people to safety in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where steep hills and valleys make for treacherous flying conditions in some areas.

Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu, while taking stock of the deteriorating conditions in flood-affected regions of the country gave instructions to enhance Pakistan Air Force (PAF) efforts, said a statement from the PAF. 

The statement added that the air chief has also instructed all bases to generate intrinsic support in coordination with local civil authorities for directed efforts towards aiding flood victims. A focal point has been established at Air Headquarters in Islamabad to monitor the efficiency of the relief operations.

For effective management, three relief zones have been established under Regional Air Commands while more than 25 helicopters and eight C-130 aircraft of PAF Air Mobility Command are to be utilised to reach inaccessible areas.

For this effort, an air support bridge is being established. For concentrated relief support, tent cities are being established at appropriate locations for the displaced, added the PAF statement.

The Pakistan Army has also established nationwide relief collection centres to gather donation items for flood affectees.

The Lahore Corps has moved eight tonnes of food items from Lahore to Sohbatpur, Balochistan. The Rawalpindi Corps has transported four tonnes of rations from Rawalpindi to DI Khan, KP. The Gujranwala Corps has moved four tonnes of rations from Sialkot to Panuaqil, Sindh.

The government has declared an emergency and appealed for international help

On Sunday, the first aid flights began arriving -- from Turkey and the UAE.