ISLAMABAD, Aug 12: Water flow continued to increase on protective embankments in Larkana on Thursday.

A huge flow carrying over one million cusecs passed through Nusrat Loop Bund, Akil Agani Loop, Parana Abad Loop Bund and Hasan Wahan Loop Bund. The flood has inundated over a hundred villages in catchment area, a private TV channel reported on Thursday.

The Army has solicited large boats from the Navy to evacuate 2,000 people marooned in a village.

The district administration in Tando Mohammed Khan declared at least 17 villages near protective bund of Malakasiar as sensitive.

As Kotri Barrage is persistently rising, 17 villages adjacent to Kasiar's protective embankment near Hyderabad have been declared sensitive. Thirty thousand people live in these villages.

At least 21 relief camps have been set up in Tando Mohammed Khan.

According to Khairpur DCO Mohammed Abbas Baloch, the situation at Faridabad and other bunds was quite dangerous. Army jawans and volunteers were supervising the bunds.

Hundreds of people, left helpless on Khanpur-Kandhkot Indus Highway, are waiting for succour.

The surge was wending its way towards Jacobabad and Mubarakpur Karim Bux after ravaging Thul.

The water situation at Reni Canal, in Ghotki tehsil of Ubauro, worsened. The gas supply from Qadirpur gas field of Ghotki has been restored.

Residents of Mehar tehsil of Dadu district set tyres on fire in protest against non-availability of relief goods.—APP Intikhab Hanif adds from Lahore:

Releases by India generated high flood in Chenab river at Marala on Thursday, raising alarm in five cities of central Punjab.

The river Indus was in exceptionally high flood at Guddu with a discharge of 997,000 cusecs and rising.

The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) said that rain in the Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir generated a fresh wave of flood in Chenab. The discharge at Marala was nearly 180,000 cusecs on Thursday afternoon and expected to range between 200,000 and 250,000 cusecs in the next 24 hours.

The FFD forecast high flood, 200,000 to 250,000 cusecs, in the river Chenab also at Khanki during the next 24 hours.

It expected flooding of low-lying areas in Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat, Hafizabad and Mandi Bahauddin, urging the authorities concerned to adopt measures to avoid loss of human life and property.

The river Indus at Guddu is likely to remain in exceptionally high flood ranging between 900,000 and one million cusecs on Friday and Saturday.

The river at Sukkur is likely to attain an exceptionally high level –one million to 1.1 million cusecs – on Saturday and Sunday.

The FFD reiterated that the inundation and riverine flooding in low-lying areas of Khairpur, Jacobabad, Ghotki, Sukkur, Larkana, Nawabshah, Hyderabad and Naushehro Feroze districts was expected.

Meanwhile, the Met Office forecast scattered thunderstorm/rain over sub-mountain areas of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa and Kashmir in the next 24 hours. Isolated thunderstorm/rain was expected over central and southern Punjab, northeast Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.

It said that in the last 24 hours, Ganda Singhwala (Kasur) received 40mm of rain, Faisalabad 21mm, Kotli 16mm, Ravi Syphon 9mm, Balakot 3mm, Islamabad (Shamsabad 3mm, Zero Point and Airport Trace), Okara and Kakul 2mm each, Sehrkakota and Chakdara 1mm each, Joharabad, Sialkot, Sargodha, Lahore (airport & Jail Road) Trace each.