Surging floodwaters of the Indus River submergedanother city and dozens of villages Sunday in southern Pakistan as soldiers and workers struggled to save a nearby historic city, a government official said. "The water has entered Sajwal city, which has a population of 200,000," dpa quoted Khair Mohammad Kaloro, the director of operations at Sindh province's Disaster Management Authority as saying. "Since the breaches took place in major embankments three days ago, the floodwaters from the Indus River have submerged 350 villages," he said. Kaloro said troops and workers from the provincial irrigation department were working to strengthen an embankment located 2 kilometres from Thatta, to try to save the cultural centre, where 300,000 people live. "We don't know whether these efforts will succeed or not, but they are working day and night," Kaloro said. "Seventy per cent of the residents of Thatta city have evacuated, and those who are left behind are ready for evacuation if the water breaches the embankment." In the 14th century, Thatta was the capital of the Sindh region in the and an important centre. Some archaeologists believe it was an important port along the Indus in the time of Alexander the Great. Floods brought on by heavy heavy monsoon rains that began a month ago in the north of the country have swamped a fifth of Pakistan, killed more than 1,500 people and displaced more than 17 million. Aid organizations have expressed concerns about malnutrition and the spread of waterborne diseases, especially among children. Shahid Mehboob, a spokesman for UNICEF, said Saturday that 13 per cent of the 2.1 million children affected by the floods were suffering from severe or moderate malnutrition. He warned that the number of malnourished children could rise in the coming days. The United Nations has so far received 325 million dollars of its appeal for 460 million dollars to provide emergency relief to those affected. -- SPA
