88 killed, 8 mln affected by floods in Pakistan
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Xinhua, September 5, 2011
A total of 88 people have been killed and about eight million people have been affected in recent floods that hit Pakistan's southern Sindh province and eastern Punjab province, according to an official with Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Zafar Iqbal Qadir, chairman of NDMA, told local media on Sunday that most of the people who lost their homes in the flood-hit Sindh and Punjab provinces have been provided accommodation at different relief camps set up by the government.
Food and other living necessities have also been supplied to the flood-affected areas, he said, adding that Pakistan army and navy as well as UN organizations are also involved in the rescue and relief work in the calamity-hit areas.
To prevent the outbreak of some water-born diseases, the government has also launched an anti-malaria campaign in flood-hit areas of Sindh, he said.
Local media reported that nearly 1,500 dengue cases had been registered in eastern Punjab province as of Saturday. The Pakistani prime minister has called the local government to make all possible efforts to prevent the further spread of the epidemic and provide the best possible treatment to the dengue patients.
Local meteorological department has predicted more rains in the coming days, which could further aggravate the situation in the flood-hit areas.
Despite the possible deterioration of flood problem in Pakistan, the NDMA chairman said the country is ready to cope with the floods mainly through its own efforts though NDMA is coordinating with the UN organizations in the fight against the floods.
In 2010, Pakistan was hit by an unprecedented flood, which inundated nearly one-fifth of its land, claimed over 2,000 lives and affected some 20 million people. The damage done by the 2010 flood to Pakistan was so huge that the government had to seek help from international community.
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