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DADU: The water in Manchar lake has increased to dangerous level and the concerned authorities have directed the administration to evacuate people living in nearby villages in view of the danger of embankments breaking, while the death toll from devastating floods has reached 1290 in one of the worst natural disasters the country has face in living memory.
The increasing levels in Manchhar posed a serious threat to scores of surrounding villages after the deluge completely cut off Bajera and Jhangara villages in Dadu from the rest of the district. Floodwater gushing from the lake was mounting pressure on the embankments of Danister canal and its main regulator, which has been damaged.
According to deputy commissioner Jamshoro, the water level of Manchar Lake is continuously rising, therefore the risk of the dam breaking has increased, warning it could break at any time.
He further added that the authorities will try till the last moment to control the situation; warning that the next 24-48 hours are critical.
Moreover, a high flood of 560,000 cusecs will pass through Kotri Barrage today and has already entered Badin, the Sukkur Barrage control room in-charge said, with the undeterred water causing widespread devastation and fatalities in different areas of the country.
Kotri Barrage lies on the Indus River between Jamshoro and Hyderabad in Sindh, where the situation has been bleak ever since the flooding started last month.
Meanwhile, the Met Office has forecast that upper regions of the country may receive thundershowers for the next three to four days, though Sindh, Balochistan and south Punjab are expected to experience hot and humid weather during these days.
Under the influence of this weather system, rain-wind/thundershower (with isolated heavy falls) is expected in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Murree, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sheikhupura, Mianwali, Khushab, Sargodha, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhang, Faisalabad, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Malakand, Bajaur, Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Swabi, Nowshera, Kurram, Kohat and Waziristan from Saturday night to Tuesday.
Moreover, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Saturday that the death toll since June 14 has reached 1,290 with 29 people dying in the last 24 hours,.
Large parts of the country remain submerged – particularly the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh in the south. At least 180 people have died in Sindh followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (138) and Balochistan (125).
At least, 1,468,019 houses have been partially or totally damaged, while 736,459 livestock has been killed due to the floods.
Aid has flowed in from a number of countries, with the first humanitarian assistance flight from France landing on Saturday morning in Islamabad. But Pakistan’s largest charity group has said there were still millions who had not been reached by aid and relief efforts.
Initial estimates of the damage have been put at $10 billion, but surveys are still being conducted along with international organizations.
