Thailand floods leave 57 dead

Heavy downpours that caused rivers to burst around Thailand have killed 57 people in nearly two weeks of flooding that officials are calling the worst in several decades, authorities said Wednesday.
The fatalities have occurred in central, eastern and northeastern provinces and have affected more than 3 million people in 36 of Thailand’s 76 provinces, government medical and disaster agencies said. The floods have eased in a third of those provinces.
More than 4 million sandbags were used to erect walls this week in Bangkok along stretches of the Chao Praya River, which has swelled with runoffs from upper provinces that officials feared could inundate the capital.
So far, flooding in Bangkok has been minimal but riverside residents were warned to be on alert through Friday, after which current high-tide levels were expected to subside.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva warned that new risks loomed next month.
We have to keep an eye on the situation closely, Abhisit said Wednesday, adding that tidal levels were expected to rise again early next month. The worrying period will return in the beginning of next month. The supervision must continue.
Last week, Abhisit said the flooding was the country’s worst in 40 or 50 years.

Pakistan Thanks World for Opening Wallets

News Trends:  Pakistan thanked the world Friday for opening its wallets and said more than 20 million flood victims now know that nations and people around the globe are standing with them during the worst disaster the country has ever faced.

Wrapping up a hurriedly called two-day meeting of the U.N. General Assembly to spotlight the immediate need for aid, Pakistan’s U.N. Ambassador Abdullah Haroon said the initial outpouring from some 70 countries was “indeed heartening” and “a good beginning,” though he stressed that the country will need much more help in the months and years to come.

At the start of the meeting on Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said donors had given just half of the $460 million the U.N. appealed for to provide food, shelter and clean water for to up to 8 million flood victims over the next three months. He insisted all the money was needed now.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said at the end of Thursday’s session that he was assured the $460 million goal “is going to be easily met,”

But U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes told The Associated Press after Friday’s session ended that the U.N. appeal wasn’t fully funded yet.

“At the moment, we’re about 70 percent funded, about $350 million,” he said. “The situation in the last few days has improved very significantly in terms of funding … I think (the appeal) will be funded soon.”

During the General Assembly meeting, Holmes said, countries also announced contributions directly to the Pakistani government, U.N. agencies and humanitarian organizations.

“My guess is that there’s a couple of hundred million outside the appeal” that will go to helping flood victims, he said.

Aid groups and U.N. officials had worried about a slow response to the flooding, theorizing that donors who have spent heavily on a string of huge disasters in recent years were reluctant to open their wallets yet again.

Haroon thanked the United Nations — especially the U.N. chief, who flew to Pakistan, and General Assembly President Ali Abdessalam Treki, who called the aid meeting — for showing compassion and taking action when others didn’t.

“The message from here to the people of Pakistan is, do not give up hope. It is difficult. It will take time, but we have standing with us the community of the world,” Haroon said.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the United States, already the biggest donor, would contribute an additional $60 million, bringing its total to more than $150 million, and that about $92 million would go into the U.N.’s relief coffers.

The European Union raised its pledge to more than $180 million, and Pakistan’s Qureshi said Saudi Arabia would be giving “$100 million plus.” In addition, Britain said it would double its contribution to nearly $100 million, on top of $25 million in public donations, and Germany raised its aid to $32 million.

Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, had challenged other countries, especially China, Pakistan’s close ally, which was recently crowned as the world’s second largest economy, to “step up to the plate.”

China’s U.N. Ambassador Li Baodong said Friday that immediately after the flooding began, Beijing showed “the profound friendship” between the two countries and people by sending about 80 tons of urgently needed relief supplies worth 10 million yuan ($1.5 million).

He announced that the government has decided to provide an additional 50 million yuan ($7.4 million) worth of humanitarian aid.

Pakistan announced earlier Friday that it will accept $5 million in aid from neighbor and rival India, which Haroon welcomed saying the disaster transcended any differences and the country was grateful for the offer.

India’s U.N. Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri said the $5 million in relief supplies was an initial offer, and the government is ready to do more to assist the relief effort. He said India will also “be privileged” to assist in Pakistan’s medium- and long-term recovery.

On Friday, Iran also announced that it was doubling its contribution from $5 million to $10 million.

Holmes stressed that the the U.N. pledges have to be turned into “real money” to buy food, tents, drugs and water purification tablets and then have to be delivered to those in need — “a huge challenge.” Then, the U.N. will try to get farmers to start planting again and determine “the infrastructure damage and reconstruction cost which will no doubt be in the billions of dollars,” he said.

Power production shrinks to 12,719 MW

LAHORE: Power generation has witnessed further decline due to closure of several plants and now the total production stands at 12,719 MW.

Although the total demand has decreased to 14,423 MW due to the flooding, the total electricity shortfall has surged to 1700 MW.

KESC is being supplied 640 MW electricity on daily basis.

Load-shedding is not being undertaken for industrial sector in all the major cities including Lahore. However, up to 2 hour power shedding is being observed for domestic users and up to 4 to 5 hour on commercial feeders.

UN body says 4.5 mln affected by Pakistan floods

GENEVA: Devastating floods in Pakistan have affected an estimated 4.5 million people, UN officials said on Friday, as relief workers warned that the amount of aid needed was “absolutely daunting”.

“The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates globally that 4.5 million people have been affected by the flooding,” said UN spokesperson Elena Ponomareva, marking an increase of some 300 000 in a day.

Citing estimates from Pakistani authorities, UN relief agencies said 252 000 homes have been destroyed as relentless monsoon rains continue and flood water rolls southwards through some of the poorest parts of the country.

“Basically, as we”re hearing, the scale of the needs is absolutely daunting,” said Melissa Fleming, a spokesperson for the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The World Food Programme said it was preparing to provide food aid to some 2.5 million flood victims for three months, after delivering rations to 237 000 people in the worst hit areas.

“It”s a rolling emergency, this is something that”s not over, the rains are continuing” said Emilia Casella, a spokesperson for the UN food agency.

“That means the people who are already affected are being further affected, and the people who weren”t affected yet are now at risk of being hit by damage to their homes, their crops and their businesses,” she added.

One million people hit by previous emergencies in the northwest, including the huge 2005 earthquake and conflicts, were already relying on WFP food rations before the worst floods in living memory struck.

The WFP said it was likely to ask donors for about $63m to finance emergency aid in Pakistan, while the UN Children”s Fund (Unicef) appealed for $47.3m to fund its relief operation in Pakistan.

About 1.8 million children are among those hit by the flooding, according to the agency, and are especially vulnerable to the risk of disease.

“They need water, medicine, food and shelter urgently,” Martin Mogwanja, Unicef”s spokesperson in Pakistan said in a statement.

UN agencies were unable to give an estimate of the total number of people who were displaced or homeless.

Baloch Babar, a Pakistani spokesperson for the UNHCR in Geneva, told AFP that provincial authorities in the northwest had indicated that 1.5 million people were displaced in that area alone.

He said that the extent of the monsoon rains was exceptional, with the floods putting “the poorest of all” at risk, impoverished rural farm workers in South Punjab and Sindh province who often live along river banks.

Pakistan on Friday evacuated half a million people from at-risk areas in the agricultural south.

Longer term damage to Pakistan”s agriculture is also feared, after crops in fertile farmland in the northwestern Swat Valley were devastated and the floods now threaten the country”s bread basket in the plain.

Flood may hit one million in Sindh: DMA chief

KARACHI: At least eight to ten lakhs of people of Sindh living on banks of the river might be affected by the flooding in the province, Disaster Management Authority Sindh’s Director General Salih Farooqui said Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference here, Salih Farooqui said the protection of the embankments and evacuation of the people to the safer places, are the foremost priorities.

Sindh chief of Disaster Management Authority said the residents do not want to quit their areas to be relocated; but, the public representatives are being sought to get the job done.

Farooqui said the locality of 20,000 heads in Sukkar, is at stake from the flash floods, adding Pakistan Army, Navy and Air Force have been incorporated in the Relief Operations.

Over 300 killed in Malakand floods

SWAT: More than 300 people were killed and thousands became homeless as floods played havoc in Malakand Division.

Government sources said the number of flood victims exceed from 151 and 158 in Swat and Shangla respectively. The most affected areas included Bahrain, Madeen, Kalam, Kanju,Kabal and Mingora where more than 150 connecting and six large bridges, over 400 houses and 10 schools swept away. The supply of power and gas remained suspended in district Swat and local residents facing shortage of food items.

Rescue operation of Pakistan Army is underway in flood-hit areas and 2,500 people including tourists evacuated to safety. Free ration has been distributed in Kalam Valley.

At least 480 houses, 34 schools, six large and 28 connecting bridges, thousands of acres of agricultural land and a department of Shaheed Benazir University in upper Dir swept away in floodwaters. At least 63 people have been killed and 11 missing in the floods.

On the other hand, Dir-Kohistan, Dir-Chitral and Dir-Braval Highways remained closed for traffic.

Black box of crashed plane found: DG CAA

ISLAMABAD: Director General Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the black box of Air Blue’s flight ED 202 which crashed on Thursday in Margalla Hills has been recovered from the crash site.

Talking to Geo News, DG CAA Junaid Ameen said cockpit voice recorder and black box of crashed have been recovered from Margalla Hills. The black box will be send to France or Germany to retrieve the data. The truth will be unveil for public at the conclusion of the investigations, he added

There were 152 people on board the ill-fated plane, which crashed just as it was getting ready to land in Islamabad. All passengers and crew on board were killed.

Balochistan flooded areas declared calamity-hit

NASEERABAD: Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani declared areas of the province inundated by floodwater, as calamity-hit areas, Geo News reported Saturday.

Talking to media after visiting the flood-overwhelmed areas in Dera Muraad Jamali, he said the devastations unfolded by the flooding, harmed the people of entire country including those in Balochistan.

Urging the people to call up courage and mettle, the Balochistan CM said this is a natural disaster.

Declaring Naseerabad, Kohlu, Barkhan, Kachhi and Sibbi as disaster-wrought, the CM Raisani directed for the recompense for the damages in the flood-ravaged areas.

The district administration may meet people’s requirements by purchasing tents and other articles from the markets to expedite the rehabilitation of the affectees.

US Senate passes $60B Afghan war bill

WASHINGTON: The Senate has passed an almost $60 billion bill funding President Barack Obama’s troop surge in Afghanistan after stripping out more than $20 billion in domestic spending approved by the House.

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US Senate passes $60B Afghan war bill

Chenab rises at Khanki Headworks

LAHORE: Flooding Chenab River has inundated several villages and destroyed standing crops as the water level at Khanki headworks has almost touched high level of flood with 2,10,504 cusecs inflow following widespread rain in the catchment area.

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Chenab rises at Khanki Headworks

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