Pakistan has warned of more floods in some areas over the weekend, adding to the woes of the nation where almost 1,500 people have lost their lives, millions of homes got destroyed and the damage could surge to $30 billion.
(Bloomberg) — Pakistan has warned of more floods in some areas over the weekend, adding to the woes of the nation where almost 1,500 people have lost their lives, millions of homes got destroyed and the damage could surge to $30 billion.
Predictions of heavy rains in Madhya Pradesh, a state in neighboring India, could raise the water levels of some rivers in Pakistan from Saturday and cause more floods, state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan reported, quoting Faisal Farid, director general of Punjab’s disaster management authority.
More than a third of the South Asian nation, which was already reeling from dwindling currency reserves and the highest inflation in decades, is under water. The floods, which have killed 1,486 people and affected 33 million, are forcing the federal government to warn of a looming food crisis as crops and livestock have been swept away.
The authorities should evacuate people living near the rivers and take measures to avoid the loss of lives and property, Farid said. Heavy rains are expected in some areas of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday and Friday, according to India’s weather bureau.
However, the flood water in Sindh, which bore the brunt of the natural disaster, was receding, Murad Ali Shah, chief minister of the province said at a briefing on Wednesday. More than 70% of rice crops in Sindh have been damaged, he said.
Fresh rains seen in India should not affect Sindh, Shah told Bloomberg by phone. The city of Sehwan, which is located at an elevated level and protected by a strong embankment, is safe, he added. Several villages near the city are still flooded after the Manchar lake was breached, he said.
The deadly floods are causing a surge in food costs in Pakistan at a time when global prices of staples have soared following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The damage to food supplies in the country will probably boost the nation’s need for imports and increase the pressure on global agricultural markets. Pakistan has just secured a $1.16 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to avert an imminent default.
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