Parts of Sindh, Punjab on alert as fresh flood warning issued

SUKKUR: Pakistan issued fresh flood warnings on Wednesday, putting parts of Punjab and Sindh on alert and calling on foreign donors to step up to contain the country's worst humanitarian disaster.

The United Nations was to launch an international appeal in New York, calling for hundreds of millions of dollars to provide urgent assistance to six million people it says now depend on aid for survival.

Pakistan's government has admitted being unable to cope with the scale of the crisis and an outpouring of rage from survivors and the political opposition is compounding pressure on President Asif Ali Zardari.

Religious charities have plugged some of the vacuum.

The meteorological service warned of floods in Hyderabad district, which could spread devastation further south in Sindh province, and issued a “significant” flood forecast for Kalabagh and Chashma in Punjab.

Local governments in both provinces, considered the breadbasket of Pakistan, also issued warnings about more flooding in the days ahead, although the chief minister in Sindh acknowledged that the immediate danger had passed.

Punjab officials said more than 90 per cent of the town of Kot Addu had emptied and that flooding had cut electricity and gas production, shutting down thousands of factories.

The chief minister of Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, told a small group of reporters that up to 3.5 million people could be affected in the province, although loss of life had been negligible.

“Up to 40 kilometres of Indus Highway is inundated and has been closed. The initial rough estimates show that losses of 35 billion rupees, excluding crops, have been suffered by Sindh,” he said.

“I think the actual losses will be much higher. We feel that without substantial foreign assistance it will be difficult for Sindh and rest of the country to redevelop and rehabilitate its people.”

“What we need is substantial foreign aid and not peanuts. The aid being pledged so far is peanuts and not enough to meet the enormous challenge ahead.

“The immediate danger is almost over, but we are concerned about the next possible big wave of flooding as predicted by the Met department.

“If it is progressive flow it should be fine, but if it comes at once then it will be a trouble.”

Pakistan says 14 million people are facing direct or indirect harm, while the United Nations has warned that children are among the most vulnerable victims, with diarrhoea the biggest health threat and measles a serious concern.