COAS announces one-day army’s ration for flood-hit people

RAWALPINDI: The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Raheel Sharif, has directed that the army’s one-day ration should be donated for flood-affected people.
The COAS chaired a meeting to evaluate the army’s flood relief efforts here on Friday. According to the ISPR, the COAS directed all concerned to speed up relief efforts in the flood-affected areas of the country ‘leaving no stone unturned’.
He reviewed the army’s relief efforts in the flood-affected areas and directed all those involved in the relief activities to act first and report later.Earlier, army chief General Raheel Sharif had directed all field commanders of the Pakistan Army to extend all-possible assistance to people in the areas affected by the floods.
The Pakistan Army is continuing its rescue and relief operations in the Chitral district and other flood-hit areas of the country.Hasnain Qaisrani adds from Dera Ghazi Khan: Floods caused by Koura and Vehoa hill torrents wreaked havoc in remote areas of the Taunsa Sharif Tehsil, while the Indus Highway linking Peshawar with Karachi was closed by the administration after a portion of Khad Buzdar bridge on the border of the Punjab and KP was damaged. Hundreds of vehicles carrying passengers and trade items were stopped across both sides of the bridge.
Officials of the National Highway Authority said heavy machinery had been rushed for repair and maintenance of the bridge to restore the traffic. Floodwater also entered the historical village of Kootani in the wee hours when the residents were asleep. A number of houses were damaged. However, locals with the help of tractors and bulldozers diverted the water and saved a vast populated area. The badly-hit villages include Bajray Wali, Basti Azeem, Fateh Khan, Bait Mouga, Basti Khar, Churkin, Khad Buzdar, Nutkani while over 60,000 acres of the standing crop were swept away.
On the other hand, heavy rain started on early Friday morning in the mountainous regions as well as the plains of DG Khan and continued for four to six hours with intervals. Life was paralysed in the DG Khan city as the tehsil municipal administration failed to drain out the rainwater.
Agencies add: Rajanpur District Coordination Officer Zahoor Hussain said they had rescued 11,848 flood victims and shifted them to safe places. He said free medical treatment had been provided to 7,044 flood-hit people and 199,091 cattle vaccinated.
The Pak Army rescued 325 people in District Layyah, said an ISPR statement here on Friday. The rescued people were shifted to safer places. About 150 ration packets were also distributed among the affected rescued by the army.
The Larkana commissioner on Friday issued a flood emergency warning to the residents of Katcha areas in view of the flood situation. He issued a warning to the people of Larkana, Kamber, Shahadadkot, Jacobabad, Kandhkot, Kashmore and Shikarpur districts.
The commissioner also wrote a letter to the Pakistan Army for provision of boats for evacuation of the affected people. He also imposed a ban on people’s visit to the world heritage site Moenjodaro till August 15.
The Pakistan Navy flood relief operation Madad continued in low-lying areas of Sindh on Friday. During the last 24 hours, the PN teams evacuated 1,500 people stranded in the areas of Khairpur, Ghotki, Sukkur, Pannu Aqil and adjoining areas.
On the other hand, medium floods have been reported at Warsak and Nowshera in River Kabul besides River Indus at Khairabad where total water discharge remained 64,381 cusecs, 101,500 cusecs and 427,100 cusecs, respectively on Friday.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has so far issued 27 million SMS alerts to the flood-hit people of Punjab, Sindh and Azad Jammu & Kashmir to take preventive measures to avoid losses.