Flood-hit Pakistan breaches largest freshwater lake to prevent overflow, displaces some 100,000 people

Manchar Lake, which is used for water storage, had reached dangerous levels and posed a threat to surrounding areas in the southern Sindh province

Some 100,000 people would be affected by the breach in five councils, but it would save more populated clusters and also help reduce water levels elsewhere

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Officials warned on Sunday that more flooding was expected as Lake Manchar in southern Pakistan swelled from monsoon rains that began in mid-June and have killed nearly 1,300 people. Photo: AP

Published: 9:39pm, 4 Sep 2022Updated: 10:06pm, 4 Sep 2022

Authorities in flood-hit Pakistan strategically breached the country’s largest freshwater lake on Sunday, a minister said, displacing up to 100,000 people from their homes but saving more densely populated areas from gathering floodwater.

Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in Pakistan’s northern mountains have brought floods that have affected 33 million people and killed at least 1,290, including 453 children. The inundation, blamed on climate change, is still spreading.

Meteorologists predicted more rain in the region in the coming days and authorities urged villagers in the Jamshoro and Dadu districts of Sindh province near the lake to evacuate.

The rising waters reached dangerous levels and posed a threat to a protective dyke and embankment, they said. The lake, located west of the Indus River, is the largest natural freshwater lake in Pakistan and one of the largest in Asia.

A gauge shows the water level, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Manchar Lake on September 3. Photo: Reuters

Manchar Lake, which is used for water storage, had already reached dangerous levels, and the increased pressure posed a threat to surrounding areas in the country’s southern Sindh province, Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro said.