Rescue operations continue in flood-hit northeastern Pakistan as water levels in rivers recede

Water levels at major headworks across northeastern Pakistan has slightly receded as rescuers shifted thousands more to safer places, officials and local media reported on Thursday.

Another 3,000 people were evacuated from the outskirts of Multan district of northeastern Punjab province over the past 24 hours after administration carried out another controlled breach to save the city on Wednesday night.

The breach, however, let torrents of floodwater inundate most parts of remote Pirwala town, which has already been bearing the floods impact.

Authorities are using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and quadcopters to identify citizens trap­ped in floodwaters before sending boats to the survivors.

The Punjab government has sent drones Multan to airlift survivors from flood-hit areas and transport food and other life-saving equipment to people stranded in floodwaters.

Authorities conducted a test run of the drone on Wednesday and rescued a man in a mock exercise in Lahore.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari told reporters in the provincial capital Lahore on Thursday that water levels at the province’s headworks are no longer critical.

However, the three eastern rivers – Sutlej, Chenab and Jhelum – are still flowing from moderate to high floods, local broadcaster Geo News reported citing Flood Forecasting Division.

The catastrophic floods, which are among the worst in the country's history, have impacted nearly 4.3 million people in Punjab's 25 districts, in addition to washing away houses, bridges and livestock, submerging large stretches of farmlands, and killing 76 people over the past two weeks.

More than 2 million people have so far been evacuated from the flood-hit areas in Punjab, according to Bukhari.

In southern Sindh province, some 120,000 residents of downstream areas have also been evacuated in anticipation of floods in the next few days.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chairman of Pakistan People’s Party, the second major ruling coalition partner, has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to issue a “flash appeal” to the international agencies to cope with the relief and rehabilitation challenges.