Connect with us

Pakistan

Armed forces rescue 2,000 marooned by catastrophic floods

Published

on

  • Pakistan struggling with disaster blamed on climate change that has swamped about third of country.
  • Several villages inundated with as much as 11 feet of water in Sindh’s Dadu district.
  • Country expects several humanitarian relief flights to arrive today.

The armed forces have rescued a further 2,000 people stranded by rising floodwaters, they said on Friday, in a disaster blamed on climate change that has swamped about a third of the nation and is still growing.

Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in northern mountains brought floods that have killed at least 1,208 people, including 416 children, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said.

The United Nations has appealed for $160 million in aid to help tackle what it said was an “unprecedented climate catastrophe” as Pakistan’s navy has fanned out inland to carry out relief operations in areas that resemble a sea.

In the Dadu district of Sindh, one of the worst-affected provinces, several villages were under as much as 11 feet (3.35 m) of water, according to Bashir Khan, a local resident who is in contact with people remaining in the area.

“My house is under water, I had left my place four days ago with my family,” he told Reuters.

People launch a wooden boat into rising flood waters on the Indus highway, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Mehar, Pakistan, August 31, 2022. — Reuters
People launch a wooden boat into rising flood waters on the Indus highway, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Mehar, Pakistan, August 31, 2022. — Reuters

In neighbouring Mehar, residents were constructing a dike in an attempt to prevent floodwaters from entering the town, he said.

The navy airlifted more than 150 people from villages in Dadu on Thursday, it said in a statement.

On Friday, the military said it had evacuated about 50,000 people, including 1,000 by air, since rescue efforts began.

“During the last 24 hours, 1,991 stranded individuals have been evacuated,” the armed forces said in a statement, adding that nearly 163 tonnes of relief supplies had also been delivered to the flood-affected.

Several humanitarian relief flights are set to arrive on Friday from Middle Eastern nations such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the Foreign Office said.

Weather officials predict more rains and flash flooding in the month of September, with southern regions bracing for a surge of water from the Indus river.

Sindh has asked relief camps to deploy additional female doctors and medical officers, to ensure adequate care as more pregnant women and young mothers are displaced by the waters.

Pakistan received nearly 190% more rain than its 30-year average in the quarter from June to August, totalling 390.7mm (15.38 inches).

Latest News

Session of the National Assembly: Government Prioritising Youth Skill Development: Ch Salik Hussain

Published

on

By

The National Assembly was informed that the government is concentrating on developing the skills of young people in order to meet the demand for skilled workers in other countries. To this end, the government has inked agreements with several countries.

Continue Reading

Latest News

PTA provides a significant update on Pakistan’s Starlink launch.

Published

on

By

Starlink applied for a license on February 24, 2022, and is currently in communication with the new regulatory body, according to a briefing given to the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT, which was chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, the PTA Chairman.

Starlink needs to register with both the PSB and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) before to starting its satellite services in Pakistan. According to the PTA Chairman, the body will proceed with further actions after the registration procedure is over.

Along with Starlink, Shanghai Space Technology is also making its debut in Pakistan, which should boost internet access and spur technical advancement in the nation.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has also made it plain that until it has government approval, it is unable to grant a license to Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink.

The chairman stated that Starlink has promised to adhere to government regulations and not circumvent the system.

The committee also chose to call a meeting of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) to take up the topic of space technology regulation. Additionally, the committee asked why the PTA is assigning its duties to other groups.

Prior to the launch of Starlink in Pakistan, Elon Musk, the CEO of SPACEX, stated that he was seeking permission from the Pakistani government.

According to information, Pakistani social media user Sanam Jamali and Elon Musk had a discussion on the launch of Starlink in Pakistan on the social media site X (previously Twitter).

Sanam asked Musk to launch Starlink in Pakistan, claiming that it might open the door to a better future by giving people access to the internet and chances to advance.

In response, Musk said that he is awaiting Pakistani official approval to introduce Starlink there. Through a massive network of satellites, SpaceX’s Starlink offers internet services.

Starlink

SpaceX, a private aircraft manufacturer and space transport services provider established by Elon Musk, is the developer of the Starlink satellite internet network. The constellation uses a network of thousands of tiny satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) to deliver fast, dependable, and worldwide internet connectivity.

The way we access the internet could be completely changed by this cutting-edge technology, particularly in isolated and underdeveloped locations where conventional fiber-optic and cellular networks are scarce or nonexistent.

High-speed internet access with latency as low as 20 ms is what the Starlink constellation is intended to provide; this is on par with or even better than many current fiber-optic networks.

Every Starlink satellite includes a phased array antenna, which enables it to connect with numerous users at once, offering a flexible and high-capacity network. Fast and dependable internet connection is available to users from almost anywhere in the world with Starlink, which is an exciting advancement for digital inclusion and global connectedness.

Continue Reading

Latest News

The government has dismissed the PTI’s request for a judicial panel probing the violence on May 9.

Published

on

By

The federal government’s negotiation team has completed a comprehensive written reply to the demands put out by PTI.

The statement addresses all points presented by PTI, including the rejection to establish a judicial panel for the events of May 9.

The administration highlighted that judicial commissions are constituted for issues not subject to judicial review, and cases pertaining to May 9 are currently being adjudicated in courts, with certain persons having been condemned by military tribunals.

PTI has consented to engage in negotiations with the Prime Minister’s committee. An in-camera session has been arranged at Parliament House to further deliberate on the topic.

The letter response requests comprehensive lists of missing persons and arrested individuals from PTI, inquiring how measures for their release may be implemented without adequate information. Furthermore, PTI’s assertions concerning fatalities during protests necessitate corroborative data.

The government committee intends to deliver the written response to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq in the imminent future. The Speaker will determine whether to convene the fourth round of discussions upon receipt of the response.

Continue Reading

Trending