Monday, September 6, 2010

Pakistanis Flee As Floods Swamp More Towns

Pakistanis are still fleeing towns and villages due to rising flood waters - five weeks after heavy rains swamped large parts of the country. With an area the size of England now underwater, Sky News visited Khairpur Nathan Shah - a town in Sindh Province - which is the latest to be flooded.

According to early estimates by the United Nations and Pakistan's government, nine million acres of crops have been destroyed and 7.2 million livestock and poultry killed.

Sky News' Alex Crawford, in Khairpur Nathan Shah, said: "This hasn't got the speed of a tsunami, but the waters continue to destroy and claim fresh villages and towns.
"There's no sign of any organised help for these people. Here, it's each man and woman for themselves."

As he fled the town, one man said: "There are a number of people still trapped but there is no help."

Meanwhile, the public image of the Pakistani army is rising as fast as faith in the government is falling.

There is a growing suspicion that rich parliamentarians are diverting the waters away from their land by creating breaches in the dams to relieve pressure
But the military has taken the lead in providing relief, with about 60,000 soldiers involved in the effort.

The army chief has ordered each soldier to sacrifice a day's pay for donation to the flood victims.

One man told Sky News: "No one's helping us but the army."

:: The public can donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee by calling the 24-hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900, visiting www.dec.org.uk, donating over the counter at any post office or high street bank, or sending a cheque, or by texting the word GIVE to 70707

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