Mass exodus in Pakistan as floodwaters threaten new areas

ISLAMABAD - The mass exodus of people continued in Pakistan Sunday as floodwaters entered Thatta district in the Sindh province, even as the government set up relief camps in the port city of Karachi to shelter the victims, media reports said.

Provincial Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza said flood-affected people will be transported to Karachi and other areas as raging floodwaters ravaged the district after a new breach in Chattho Chand Canal.

The waters are now moving towards urban areas, he said.

The torrent is roaring towards a national highway after submersing many villages. Thatta and Hyderabad cities would be cut off if the highway is submersed, Geo TV reported.

The authorities were trying to divert the flow towards less populated areas by cutting protective dykes at several places.

Meanwhile, the water level at Nara Valley Drain reached the danger mark after security forces opened a sluice gate in Hamal Lake to regulate the flow, causing mass exodus from about 350 villages in Dadu district.

At least 44 people have died of waterborne diseases at relief camps in Sindh in the past few days.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has lauded the role of government departments in rehabilitation of the affected people.