Floods in 2010

Filed on 12 August 2010

Here is some news that we received from our sisters in Pakistan. Floods started affecting various parts of the country from 28th July onwards. Torrential rains and flash floods continued to devastate life and property in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and tribal areas on Thursday, killing dozens of people.

The Provincial government has declared a state of emergency and asked the people living along the banks of Swat and Kabul rivers and their tributaries in Peshawar and Charsada districts to move to other areas. Lack of resources and planning has put the lives of thousands of people at risk in Peshawar and Charsada where the Kabul and Swat rivers converge. The district administration appeared to be helpless in moving the stranded people to safe places.

The situation in Malkand division was even more chaotic. Flash floods caused widespread devastation in Swat washing away houses, bridges, hospitals, roads and communication net works. Army has called in for evacuation work in Peshawar , Charsada, Swat and other flood hit areas.

By the beginning of August the flood water was coming down and was approaching the western part of the province of Punjab. The helpless inhabitants, including women and children , got out of the danger zone on their own. Still, hundreds of families were in the town, marooned on roofs of houses and buildings because they could not afford the transport cost. Town was under five feet deep water and flood waters have entered business centers, the district hospital , graveyard, grid station and hundreds of houses.

Soon people started moving for Multan, the only link after the closures of roads leading to Layyah and Dera Gazi Kahan .There were not enough vehicles for such a massive exodus. And now the city of Multan is hosting a very big number of flood victims.

Karachi is also having rain. The flood waters are reaching the Arabian sea and it may effects some parts of the coastal belt.

According to the UN estimates, over 12 million people had been affected by the devastating flood and rains . In most of the affected regions people have lost everything. Their livestock, houses, farmland etc. Some families are totally washed away. Some others an infant or a child or an elderly person is left behind. There is also a fear of an outbreak of waterborne disease.

Our sisters in Multan are involved in relief work together with the Justice and Peace commission and the Parish; they are trying their best to reach out to the people with the resources they have. Sr. Stella who is part of the ‘caritas’ is presently attending the ‘Lay Partnership’ programme. When she returns she hopes to visit the people in the North.

Please continue to pray that the rains will stop and the cry of the people for relief and wellbeing will be heeded to. We count on your prayers and support.