Four million suffer in floods after 'once in a century' rain

MORE than four million people have now been affected by Pakistan's worst flooding in more than 80 years, the United Nations warned yesterday, as fears of waterborne diseases increased.

After causing huge destruction in the north-west, the centre of the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban, the floods, which have claimed more than 1,500 lives in the last week, have moved down the country and drowned villages and some towns in Punjab, the richest and most populous province.

The flooding, much of it from the River Indus, has affected at least 4.2 million people, is the Manuel Bessler, the UN's humanitarian chief in Pakistan, said: "We are facing a disaster of major proportions. Even a week after the disaster we don't have all the details. Roads are washed away. Bridges are destroyed. Whole areas are completely isolated and only accessible by air."

Foreign governments and aid agencies have stepped into help the beleaguered government.

Monsoon season in Pakistan usually lasts about three months, through mid-September. In a typical year, the country gets 5.4in of rainfall during the monsoon season. This year it had already received 6.3in, said Muhammad Hanif, head of the National Weather Forecasting Centre in Islamabad.

Rains were falling about 25 to 30 per cent above normal rates, Mr Hanif said. The north-west experienced "once-in-a-century" rains, hitting it the hardest. Rain is expected there in coming days, though at normal levels that should allow some recovery.

American aid began to arrive yesterday, as four US Chinook helicopters landed in the resort town of Kalam in the Swat Valley, which has been cut off for more than a week. A US Embassy spokesman said 800 people were evacuated and relief goods distributed.

In the east, a bus plunged into a rain-swollen river, killing at least 20 people. A local government spokesman last night said about 20 other people who were riding on the bus in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir were still missing and feared dead.

Eight passengers had been rescued.

The Pakistani government's response to the floods has been criticised, especially as President Asif Ali Zardari left for a visit to Europe soon after the crisis began.

"In the face of such calamity, the people need to feel that their leaders are standing by them," said an editorial in the News, a newspaper that makes no secret of its dislike of the president.

Mr Zardari's aide Farahnaz Ispahani, defended the trip: "The government must continue its business so the nation moves forward, Everything cannot come to a standstill."

As fresh rains fell yesterday, bloated rivers gushed toward southern Sindh province, where hundreds of thousands of the most impoverished Pakistanis live alongside the water.

In Punjab, the army used boats and helicopters to move stranded villagers to higher ground. Many carried what possessions they could, from clothing to pots and pans.

"We are migrants in our home," said Ahmad Bakhsh, 56, who fled flooded Sanawan. "Oh God, why have you done this?"

CHARITY APPEAL

British charities have launched a joint appeal to raise money for flood-hit Pakistan.

The Disasters Emergency Committee said: "In the aftermath of the floods there is a serious risk to survivors from potentially deadly diseases as a result of contaminated surface and drinking water."

Its Pakistan Floods Appeal will be broadcast on the UK's main TV channels and on independent radio..