Rains, floods claim 231 lives, says NDMA
ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Tuesday that rains and floods have so far claimed 231 lives, with highest count of 156 deaths coming from Punjab, followed by 64 in Azad Kashmir and 11 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Despite having no major river or canal system, death toll in Rawalpindi district is 13, fourth from top.
According to figures released by NDMA, 401 people have been injured — 287 in Punjab, 109 in AJK and five in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Know more: Police rescue 6,630 flood-tossed people
The Haveli district of AJK has been the worst affected area where 29 people have lost their lives and 60 suffered injuries, followed by Lahore and Sialkot with 27 and 22 deaths, respectively.
Flood-related deaths have been reported from 22 districts of Punjab, including 17 deaths in Kasur, 13 in Rawalpindi and Narowal, 12 in Faisalabad, nine in Jhelum and eight in Okara. In Sudhnoti district of AJK, 14 people have lost their lives.
Apart from loss of human lives, around 3,281 heads of cattle have perished and more than half a million population from 1,337 villages in Punjab have been uprooted.
In all eight districts of AJK, 1,819 heads of cattle have perished, more than 30,000 people have been affected and 2,132 houses have been completely damaged by rains and floods.
Floods and landslide have caused devastation in Gilgit-Baltistan where eight people have died in Diamer district and two and one in Ghanche and Astore districts, respectively.
The NDMA has said that the data is subjected to revision as flow of information is slow and difficult in remote areas of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Though the fresh spell of rain is not in sight, water continues to flow in the plains of Punjab from the hills and mountains of Occupied Kashmir, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The authority has warned that high levels of flood with combined thrust of Chenab, Jhelum and Ravi has reached Trimmu Headworks where the discharge of flood water is continuously being monitored for reducing the impact of floods on population at risk.
Published in Dawn, September 10th , 2014