Beyond this shoreline in southern Sindh, hundreds of villages and swathes of farmland are lost beneath the water — destroyed by floods that have affected nearly a third of Pakistan. “Nobody knows where their village is anymore, the common man can no longer recognise his own home,” Ayaz Ali, whose village is submerged under nearly seven metres (23 feet) of water, told AFP. A bus conductor with a sharp memory, Ali acts as a navigator for the navy, identifying each submerged village by the pattern of electricity pylons and distinct tree lines. Navy volunteers cruise the waters on two lifeboats delivering aid donated by locals, ferrying people in need of medical care back to the city. “They all have gone all out to protect the city but not the poor people of the rural areas,” said Umaida Solangi, a 30-year-old perched with her children on a wooden bed at a city camp.

Source: The Nation September 11, 2022 09:38 UTC