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Hundreds injured as monsoon lashes Pakistan

by Plan UK | Plan UK
Wednesday, 14 August 2013 15:46 GMT

* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

MORE than 80 people lost their lives after a heavy monsoon swept across large swathes of Pakistan.

 

Hundreds more are reported to have been injured following torrential rain and flash floods.  

 

Farm crops spanning at least 150,000 acres of land have been destroyed by rains which hit several areas, including Karachi, Hyderabad Baluchistan.

 

“The rain and thunderstorms have been scattered and very heavy indeed,” says Rashid Javed, Plan’s Director in Pakistan.

 

“We are extremely worried about what is happening with the River Indus in the eastern part of the district.

 

“This week we received reports about the river’s water levels are rising. If this continues could increase flooding in areas that are already swamped.

 

At least 4,000 homes have been damaged and more than 85,000 people are reported to have been affected across the South Asian state.

 

Heavy rains and thunder storms are expected to hit Upper Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir.

 

Aid workers from Plan International, an NGO working with more than 21,000 children in Pakistan, are stockpiling emergencies supplies for thousands of survivors.

 

The charity which works in Rajanpur, a South Punjab district swamped by heavy rainfall, is set to deliver health and hygiene kits to 3,000 families.

 

“Our immediate priority is to try and reach as many affected families and children as we can and make sure they receive health and hygiene emergency supplies,” says Mr Javed.

 

“Plan staff will be working closely with other NGOs and local authorities in the area.”

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