Pakistan’s Hope as Lake Fills: Flood Villages to Save a City

Flood affected children attend school organized by Islamic group Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, in Sukkur, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. Officials warned 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. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

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By Associated Press

September 4, 2022 at 9:07 AM UTC

Updated on

September 4, 2022 at 6:03 PM UTC

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Islamabad (AP) -- Pakistani engineers cut into an embankment for one of the country's largest lakes on Sunday to release rising waters in the hopes of saving a nearby city and town from flooding as officials predicted more monsoon rain was on the way for the country's already devastated south.

While officials hope the cut in the sides of Lake Manchar will protect about half a million people who live in the city of Sehwan and the town of Bhan Saeedabad, villages that are home to 150,000 people are in the path of the diverted waters. The hometown of Sindh province's chief minister was among the affected villages, whose residents were warned to evacuate ahead of time, according to the provincial information minister.