officials said Thursday. The latest evacuations bring the total number of people displaced since last month to 1.8 million, according to Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed. He said mass evacuations were still ongoing in the flood-hit Muzaffargarh district and other areas.

Muzaffargarh and Multan are among the worst-hit areas in the province, where floods have inundated 3,900 villages since the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers burst their banks two weeks ago, Javed said. People who fled their homes in Muzaffargarh described rushing to safety after urgent flood warnings. Ghulam Abbas, 54, who fled his village with his family, said Thursday that mosque loudspeakers announced a massive flood surge was on its way, urging everyone to leave as soon as possible. “Those who thought the waters wouldn’t reach them are now being rescued by boat,” Abbas said, adding that his home was submerged overnight. Zainab Akhtar, 33, said she lost her home in the devastating 2010 floods. “Now it has happened again,” she said as she sat inside a government-donated tent with her family.

Akhtar said she has received some food from charities and the government, but added that many survivors were relying on help from relatives. So far, Pakistan has not appealed for any international help, saying it has enough resources to respond to the flooding. The British government announced Thursday an additional 1.6 million pounds (USD 2.2 million) to help communities in Sindh province prepare for expected flooding, bringing its total humanitarian assistance for Pakistan this monsoon season to USD 3.4 million. “Sindh is in a critical window to prepare and reduce the impact of the upcoming floods,” the British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said. (Jamaica Gleaner)