ISLAMABAD/ KOTRI/: As many 34 persons were rescued, and 16.4 tonnes of food were supplied to flood-affected people during the past 24 hours, the National Flood Response Coordination Center (NFRCC) said on Thursday.
The National Flood Response Coordination Center (NFRCC) meeting was held here to review flood rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations under in flood affected areas across the country.
The NFRCC meeting was chaired by Deputy Chairman Ahsan Iqbal and co-chaired by Chairman NDMA Lt-Gen Akhter Nawaz and National Coordinator Maj-Gen Muhammad Zafar Iqbal.
Army rescue and relief activities
Army Aviation helicopters have taken 526 flights for flood-relief operations rescuing 4604 stranded people, the NFRCC told. 34 people were rescued, and 16.4 tonnes of relief goods were supplied using the Army Helicopters in the last 24 hours, it added.
A total of 147 relief camps, over 300 medical camps, and 284 relief collection points have been established across the country, NRFCC said. Over 1,26,365 people have been treated in the medical camps so far, and patients are being provided 5-day medicine, it added.
The NFRCC reported that over-collection points have received over 8498.8 tonnes of food items while 8219 tonnes of food items have been distributed in the country. In total 7.89 million medicine were collected while 7.75 million have been distributed among flood-affected people in the county, it added.
A total of 16,031 people are residing within 9 camps established under the Pakistan Navy, NFRCC reported. 23 Emergency Response teams of the Pakistan Army have rescued 15,174 people so far, it added.
No shortage of essential food items
There is no shortage of essential food items as wheat, rice, maize, potato and other essential food items are in sufficient stock to cater for food security.
The federal food secretary briefing NFRCC meeting chaired by Deputy Chairman Ahsan Iqbal and co-chaired by Chairman NDMA Lt-Gen Akhter Nawaz and National Coordinator Maj-Gen Muhammad Zafar Iqbal.
The forum was apprised of latest update of weather and flood situation. The Secretary NF S&R presented a detail update regarding wheat stocks in the country and assured that no shortage of wheat/rice/maize/sugar is expected in future as sufficient stocks are already available in country which remained secured during recent flooding.
The secretary explained that there is no shortage of essential food items in country and the reports in this regard are false and baseless.
He explained that Pakistan’s Annual requirement of wheat is 30.5 Mn Tons whereas 2 Mn tons are Strategic Reserve however in present situation, 7.07 Mn tons including 2 Mn Tons for seeds are available in country which is approximately 153 days of stock which is sufficient enough after that new wheat production will be harvested. Moreover early procurement of seeds will be ensured for the next season.
The forum was informed that import of tomato and onion on fast track is in progress. The only problem being faced is damage to communication infrastructure, which disrupted transportation of various commodities in flood affected areas
No further damage
According to the NRFCC report, southern and eastern parts of Sindh, Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and North Eastern Punjab received heavy rainfall while the rest of the country faced hotter temperatures during the past 24 hours with Turbat experiencing the highest temperature with 42-degree celsius, 41 degrees in Sibbi and 41 degrees in Nokundi.
The weather would remain hot and dry in most plains of the country for the next 24 hours while Upper Punjab, Upper KP, Gilgit Baltistan, and Kashmir could experience some rainfall.
The NFRCC reported that no infrastructural damage was caused by rains in the past 24 hours. However, 12,718 km of roads and 390 bridges have been damaged due to floods amid heavy rainfall and floods in the country, they added.
Water level receding at Kotri Barrage
The water level is continuously receding in Indus River at the point of Kotri Barrage on Thursday.
As per the official sources, the water inflow at Kotri Barrage is 525,696 cusecs upstream, whereas, the water outflow at the barrage is 508,981 cusecs downstream.
During the last 24 hours, 49,839 cusecs of water has receded at Kotri Barrage. However, high level flood situation persists at the barrage.
On the other hand, diseases are spreading in the flood-hit areas of Sindh. Gastroenteritis has gripped Khairpur, for all the hospitals in the district have been filled with children suffering from gastro.
It is to be noted here that as many as 100 children have died of gastroenteritis in 20 days in the flood-hit areas of Sindh.
In Khairpur Nathan Shah, the problems of the flood victims have increased as the relief activities could not so far be started in the area. People, suffering from hunger and thirst, are dying due to the lack of medicines.
A person named Muhammad Juman Gaadhi died in suburban village Mir Hassan Gaadhi. And a woman named Sarah, the mother of three children, also lost her life due to hunger and thirst. The locals shifted the bodies to a hospital.
It merits a mention here that 15 people have so far lost their lives in Khairpur Nathan Shah, and more than a dozen people are missing.
Also, 40 people from Khairpur Nathan Shah are forced to live in a roofless house in Karimabad Colony near Tando Muhammad Khan.
The affected people said that everything had been washed away in the flood. “There is no ration to eat. There are no clothes to wear. There is no place to sleep,” they added and appealed for aid.
Mainly hot, dry weather to prevail
Mainly hot and dry weather is likely to prevail over most plain areas of the country during the next twelve hours.
However, rain with wind and thunderstorm is expected at isolated places in north Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.
Temperatures of some major cities recorded this morning:
Islamabad twenty-two degree centigrade, Lahore twenty-seven, Karachi twenty-eight, Peshawar twenty-four, Quetta thirteen, Gilgit fifteen, Murree sixteen and Muzaffarabad twenty degree centigrade.
According to Met Office forecast for Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, partly cloudy weather with chances of rain, wind and thundershower is expected in Srinagar, Jammu, Pulwama and Baramulla while partly cloudy weather in Leh, Anantnag and Shopian.
Temperature recorded this morning:
Srinagar, Pulwama and Anantnag fifteen degree centigrade, Jammu twenty-seven, Leh ten, Shopian and Baramulla fourteen degree centigrade.
