Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Saturday that Dadu, one of the most flood-affected areas in the country, was hit by a new trend of water coming from the western bank of the Indus River. , for which there is nothing. was prepared for one.
He said this while visiting the flood-affected areas of Dadu in Sindh on Saturday. He vowed that the army was committed to helping flood victims recover but suggested that the road to recovery could be long.
Speaking to local media, General Bajwa said that the 100 square kilometer area between Himal Lake and Manchar Lake was the worst affected, the entire area was completely submerged.
He said that his priority at the moment is to rescue the stranded people and provide relief to the flood victims.
While rescue operations have been completed in most of the flood-hit areas, he said, emergency calls of snakebites or other problems are coming in. However, they are still saving people in Dadu.
He added that Dadu city, which has a population of 500,000, has doubled that number as a result of the floods while it is under water.
The army chief appreciated the efforts of the district administration which cooperated with the army to set up temporary dikes and manage the influx of refugees.
Appreciating the people who sent aid and relief supplies from all over Pakistan, he made a special appeal to the residents of rural and urban areas of Sindh to come forward and help deliver the aid.
He further said that international community is also helping Pakistan by coming flights and experts are flying besides donating but we should not depend on them.
Talking about the rehabilitation of the flood victims, he said that it is a long and comprehensive process and it may take a long time.
Talking about climate change and its effects, he said that these areas are usually flooded by rivers.
Moreover, the average rainfall in these areas is relatively low during this time of the year. But this year, they saw about 1,700 mm of rain in a week.
“We were not prepared for this,” he said, adding that what surprised him was that most of the water came from the west bank of the river.
He further said that mountain storms coming from Balochistan caused a lot of damage.
