SEHWAN: Flood-affected families started returning to their homes after the water showed signs of receding, as the international aid continued to pour in, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for focusing on the plight of children in the relief effort.
Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro confirmed reports that the floodwater in Manchar lake receded further after its release into the Indus river continued at a faster pace. He added that the situation on the right bank of the Indus would normalise soon.
Manchar level had come down to 120 feet. The inflow at Kotri Barrage, the last barrage on the Indus river system, was 259,517 cusecs while the outflow was recorded at 229,722 cusecs.
Meanwhile, some internally-displaced persons (IDPs) were also seen moving back to their villages since Sunday evening. “A few families have left for their homes,” a volunteer at a girls’ college in Hyderabad’s Qasimabad locality said.
“Others feel they can go back very soon, but I don’t know how and when,” he added. However, roads in several areas remain inundated, with families using boats to return to their homes, especially in areas near Mehar and Khairpur Nathan Shah in the Dadu district.
The unprecedented climate-induced floods in Pakistan, particularly in Sindh and Balochistan, have left families separated and distressed. Thousands of people from the Dadu district were forced to leave their homes.
Several friendly countries and international organisations mobilised their resources to help the 3.3 million affected people up and down the country. The arrival of international aid continued on Monday.
The United States, which had pledged more than $50 million in aid, announced an additional $2 million for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for its flood response efforts in Pakistan.
“We are pleased to announce $2 million in humanitarian assistance to support UNHCR’s flood response, providing lifesaving items to flood-affected Pakistanis and Afghan refugees in three provinces and helping to rebuild communities,” US Ambassador Donald Blome said.
The additional funding comes on top of the existing US contribution of $33 million for UNHCR’s planned programmes in 2022, aimed at strengthening livelihoods, boosting the capacity of national education and health facilities in refugee-hosting communities.
Read more: ADB announces ‘significant’ relief, rehabilitation package for flood-hit Pakistan
