Stable Pakistan in US interest: Munter

TrendPK.com
KARACHI: U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter Saturday said the stable Pakistan is in interest of the USA.

Addressing a ceremony at Expo Center, he said his country will extend every possible succor to Pakistan in the agricultural sector. TrendPK

Please click ‘Video’ button to watch Munter speak.

PM vows to give houses to flood victims

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said that houses would be built for 2 million flood affectees and electricity and fertilizer would be provided to those farmers having less than 25 acres of land.
Addressing a ceremony in Agricultural Degree College Gujrat, the PM said that floods destroyed live stocks and college of live stocks Gujrat should be completed at the earliest. The situation turned pleasant when Senator Nawabzada Gul said that the government has seized land of nationalized Agricultural College Gujrat. On this, CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif said that your partys government had occupied the land. On this, PM Gilani said that past mistakes committed by PPP should be compensated by the CM. He said that mistakes committed in the past would be addressed. The PM announced Rs 5 crore funds for University of Gujrat.

Oil & Gas production yet to be restored after recent deluge

Where the recent deluge has devastated the agricultural sector, it has also affected the oil and gas production sector, almost halting the production. According to the Pakistan Petroleum Information Service oil production remained 64,000 barrels a day in the month of September which is just 0.4% higher than the last year statistics of the same month. Gas production in the country also experienced a modest increase of just 2.3% to reach a level of 4 billion cubic feet. According to the Invest Cap, situation will ameliorate after the restoration of production in the affected fields.

Sutlej rising as India discharges more water

Discharge of water by India in River Sutlej is continued, which resulted in rise in the water level to 19 feet at Ganda Singhwala threatening inundation of several villages.
India can discharge more water from the reservoirs after heavy monsoon rains, Agricultural Departments officials warned. The water level in Sutlej is rising at Ganda Singhwala, as the officials fear that the river outburst can submerge Kasur and the adjoining villages. The local authorities have also been warned to take precautionary measures in view of the current situation. India started discharging water into Sutlej after there was no more capacity in Bhakra and Pong dams to store water after recent heavy rains in the catchment areas of the reservoirs and in parts of Indian Punjab, which may spread destruction in the region situated along the Sutlej.

Tarbela, Mangla dams start releasing water to provinces

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: After a comparatively long hold because of the floods, Tarbela and Mangla dams have started to release water to fulfill the agricultural needs of provinces and boost production of hydro power.

Due to the floods in the country, this year both dams delayed water release to avoid further problems. Last year, they immediately started discharging water after filling up.

Mangla on July 31 and Tarbela on August 23 were completely filled with water. Experts have said that instead of March, both dams will now reach dead level in April; consequently, crops will get more water this year.

After the start of water release, the water level in Tarbela is at 1,549 feet high from the dead level while the level in Mangla is 1,205 feet high from dead level. SAMAA

Landslides kill 11 in northeast Turkey

GUNDOGDU: Eleven people were killed when landslides caused by torrential rain razed several homes in a town in northeast Turkey, the state-run Anatolian news agency said on Friday.

The landslides wiped out parts of the town of Gundogdu, in Rize province in the eastern Black Sea region, late on Thursday, and emergency workers were continuing rescue efforts on Friday.

The death toll rose to 11 after authorities dug up three bodies inside two houses buried in mud, the agency said. Six people were hurt, two missing and hundreds left homeless.

Burak Akat, whose brother and mother-in-law died, told Anatolian his family had just sat down for the iftar dinner after a day of fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan.

“We heard a noise and understood right away that the house was about to collapse. Before I could say, ‘Run,’ the house was gone. I somehow

Video of Torri Bund breaches by influential men surfaces

Staff Report

KARACHI: In order to save lands and constituencies of influential government figures, the Sindh Irrigation Department diverted the flow of Indus flood water by making breaches in Torri Bund.

SAMAA today received a video, in which a sub-engineer of the Irrigation Department could be seen supervising the making of a breach in Torri Bund.

People had already expressed fears that influential people would divert the flow of deluge to save their agricultural lands.

These fears proved correct when the water pressure mounted at Ali Wahan Bund near Rohri, and a government official broke the Torri embankment to save his lands. On this occasion, the local population and officials of the provincial irrigation department exchanged harsh statements.

On August 14, a deliberate breach in Torri Bund caused massive devastation in Karampur, Ghouspur

Rain forecast for Punjab, KP, Kashmir

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The Meteorological Department has predicted rain for the next three days in Kashmir, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said sources on Tuesday.

According to the Met office, rain and lightning are expected in some parts of Islamabad, upper Punjab, Peshawar, Kohat, Hazara Division and Kashmir over the next 24 hours.

Hot and dry weather is predicted in some parts of the country.

Some parts of upper Punjab and Kashmir received rain with lightning over the past 24 hours.

Heaviest rain of 98 millimeters was recorded in Gujrat. SAMAA

Fazl flays Altaf over martial law remarks

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has said that the statement of MQM chief Altaf Hussain has spread a fresh wave of disappointment among the people besides making the role of Army suspicious.

Addressing the general workers on Sunday, Hussain said that his party would support any patriotic general who was prepared to take action against the corrupt politicians and feudal lords.

“If we have to choose between two evils, we will go for the lesser evil. If our generals are ready to take any initiatives against these criminals who have looted and plundered this country then we will welcome them,” he said.

Reacting to these remarks, Rehman said that the system would improve only with the continuation of democratic set up in the country. “The Army will gradually detach itself from the politics and

Fruit and vegetable prices soar with floods

KARACHI: The prices of fruit and vegetables have jumped across the country after floods destroyed a large area of crops, said sources on Tuesday.

Fruit and vegetable prices in Pakistan have shot up by 50 percent after the devastating floods destroyed 4.25 million acres of crops.

Fruit and vegetable vendors have said that the price hike was unavoidable due to the flood damaged crops.

“The floods have destroyed the agricultural fields and washed away vegetable crops ready for harvest,” they said.

“It is like a fire erupted in the market,” said a buyer. “Floods and rains have made these things unaffordable.”

Residents of Hyderabad complained that profiteers take advantage under the pretext of flood devastation. They appealed to the government to take notice of rising prices.

Punjab has particularly been hit hard; the UN has said that

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