RESCUERS backed by troops evacuated more than 25,000 people from a city in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province overnight as rising rivers threatened to flood the region, officials said.
The emergency rescue operation in Jalalpur Pirwala began late Sunday and continued through the night, said Irfan Ali Kathia, director-general of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority.
By yesterday morning, about 25,000 residents from high-risk neighbourhoods had been moved to safer areas.
The latest evacuations from Jalalpur Pirwala came two days after a rescue boat capsized in floodwaters on the city’s outskirts, killing at least five people.
Fifteen others were rescued after the boat overturned on Saturday, local officials said.
Ghulam Shabir, a 50-year-old construction worker, said he moved to higher ground near the city after floodwater entered his village, inundating homes and farmland.
He appealed to the government to expedite rescue work as many people were still stranded in flooded villages.
The government has deployed hundreds of boats, and thousands of rescuers and volunteers for evacuations in flood-hit districts.
The Pakistan Markazi Muslim League, a volunteer group known for being among the first responders in natural disasters, is among those involved in the efforts, with members spread nationwide.
The group’s spokesperson, Taha Muneeb, said floodwaters had already submerged all the villages surrounding Jalalpur Pirwala and had begun to seep into the city itself.
“Many residents refuse to leave, saying it is better to remain on their rooftops than to sit helpless on the roadside,” he said.
Survivors told reporters that many people remained stranded on rooftops and trees.
“I saw people perched on branches of trees, half-submerged in floodwaters,” said Taj Din, who was among a dozen evacuees rescued by a boat.
Punjab government spokesperson Uzma Bukhari said they were utilising thermal imaging drones to locate stranded people in flooded areas, enabling them to be rescued by boat.
Though Pakistan hasn’t issued any appeal for help, the Saudi government on Monday delivered 10,000 food packages and 10,000 shelter kits to the Punjab government for flood-hit families.
The Saudi shipment came just two days after Washington also dispatched emergency supplies for Pakistan’s flood victims.
Floods have so far affected more than 4.1 million people across 4,100 villages in 25 districts of Punjab province.
Since Aug 26, there have been at least 56 flood-related deaths, while more than two million residents have been moved to safety, Irfan said.
The disaster management official said displaced families were being provided with tents and food supplies.
He added that the local administration, assisted by troops and police, was expediting evacuations in the city, which has a population of nearly 700,000.
Mosques broadcast evacuation announcements as residents scrambled onto vehicles amid heavy rainfall.
Punjab has been conducting one of its largest rescue operations, including with the aid of drones, since last month, when floodwaters inundated multiple districts after India released water from its dams.
The surges swelled the Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers, while torrential monsoon rains further raised water levels.
Since late June, monsoon floods have killed over 900 people across Pakistan, said the National Disaster Management Authority. — AP
