Evacuation underway in Pakistan as floods hit four million

Thousands more people in Pakistan are still fleeing the devastating floods on Thursday, as officials warn that more heavy rain is on its way. It is also feared that some of the country’s dams could burst making the situation even worse.

Photo: Reuters

Up to 1,500 people have been killed by the flooding caused by torrential monsoon rains.

The humanitarian disaster is now into a second week and relief workers are scrambling to help survivors.

The United Nations rushed a top envoy to Pakistan to mobilise international support and address the urgent plight of nearly four million people.

Commentator Kamal Matinuddin told RFI that “Pakistan economically is not vey sound and is facing a lot of difficulties as far as the economic situation was concerned and is dependant on outside assistance and foreign aid.”

Matinuddin said that although pledges of financial aid have come from the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan “most of these pledges are not immediately implemented.”

As well as monetary aid Matinuddin said the United States has also lent seven helicopters and offered to supply the devastated country with halal food.

Nevertheless, Matinuddin said “that’s not enough, the rest of the international community must get together to help Pakistan. “

Victims lashed out at authorities for failing to come to their rescue and provide better relief, piling pressure on a cash-strapped administration straining to contain Taliban violence and an economic crisis.

Matinuddin said that “80 per cent of the UN food supply aid had been destroyed” and that had Pakistan constructed many of the dams that it had planned to “a lot of this crisis could have been avoided and the loss of life reduced or minimised.”