Pakistan: Sind, a province in flood hell

In Dadu district, several areas are submerged under three meters of water.

AFP - AAMIR QURESHI

Text by: Sonia Ghezali Follow

3 mins

Sindh province in southern Pakistan is one of the most affected by the floods that have hit Pakistan since mid-June.

In question, exceptional monsoon rains and rivers in flood after the accelerated melting of glaciers in the north of the country.

One in seven inhabitants is affected and 6.4 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

More than 1,300 people have been killed according to the latest official toll, which could increase as relief reaches the disaster areas.

A climatic disaster whose consequences are still to be feared because several areas are still threatened with imminent flooding.

This is the case in Sindh.

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From our special correspondent in the province of Sindh,

In Dadu, one of the districts of Sindh province, the authorities called on thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

day by day in some areas of the district.

This is the case in KN Shah and its suburbs.

The Indus highway that crosses the constituency is under water.

Road signs have their heads above water, but hundreds of homes are submerged.

There are three meters of water in several areas.

Only the pediments of buildings with several floors are visible, like that of certain colleges and high schools.

Fuel pump badges are also visible.

fear of scorpions

In the heart of the city of KN Shah, the rescue workers of the Pakistani foundation Edhi have come to the aid of 1200 people in the last 5 days.

They navigate the waters from the early hours of the day, go to submerged villages, rescue those who are trapped and bring water to those who do not want to leave their homes.

The latter refuse to evacuate because they are afraid that their house will be looted if they leave it.

Many men sent their wives and children to relatives in non-flooded areas, or to emergency camps, but they stayed.

In KN Shah, there are said to be around 200 men who refuse to leave their homes.

They live on the roof despite the risk of collapse, the houses being all flooded up to three meters high.

Khairpur before and after floods.#SindhFloods #PakistanFloods pic.twitter.com/ml8r8SjShe

— Aqsa Kinjhar Leela Jamali (@AqsaLeelaJamali) September 1, 2022

The streets, transformed into a river, are filled with waste, snakes have appeared.

Scorpions, which are very numerous in Sindh, are even more feared because there is no way for these inhabitants to reach the hospital in case of emergency.

There is no access to drinking water, no access to food, no electricity, no mobile network, people are cut off from the world.

Their only means of being supplied is to use the boats of the rescuers or the fishermen who charge for the race to dry ground.

The weather forecast predicts more rain

Currently, fears of further flooding come from Lake Mancar which is 80km from Dadu province.

It is a lake used for water storage, but which today overflows.

These valves are subjected to high pressure;

thousands of homes are threatened.

The authorities opened a breach which allows water to flow towards certain villages which will be flooded, but this should allow the district of Dadu and Sewan, which are very populated, to be spared.

Will that be enough?

Some are asking the question because the rainwater falling in the mountains of neighboring Baluchistan will reach Lake Manchar and swell it even more when it is already overflowing.

And this while the weather forecast predicts rain in the coming days.

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