Devastating Pakistan floods sweeping south

Pakistan's biggest floods in eight years threaten to inflict widespread suffering in Sindh province after the unpopular government failed millions of people ravaged by the disaster in other parts of the country.

Raging waters have spread from the northwest to the Punjab agricultural heartland and then down to the southern province of Sindh.

So far, the floods have killed more than 1,600 people and officials say the toll was likely to climb. More than 4 million have also lost their livelihoods and homes.

The government's lacklustre response has reinforced the view among Pakistanis that civilian administrations, perceived as corrupt and weak, are unable to handle big crises, leaving the army to step in. The military has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its turbulent history.

Children, their homes swept away, helped parents to set up temporarily shelters of clothes and plastic sheeting on a roadside in Sukkar, bunkering down to wait for rescue, or aid. Elderly villagers puffed on traditional water pipes in an attempt to regain some normalcy.

President Asif Ali Zardari, already squeezed by a Taliban insurgency, chronic power cuts and many other critical issues, is on the political defensive once again after his decision to travel abroad during the catastrophe drew fierce criticism.

The United States wants Zardari's government to bring political and economic stability to Pakistan, an ally it believes can help ease a Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, where an American troop pullout starts next summer.

Unable to rely on authorities, Pakistanis must innovate to survive, using makeshift, hand-operated pulleys to move people on wooden planks above rivers where waters brought down bridges.

Authorities in Sindh said treacherous conditions were hampering evacuation efforts, but added that villagers were reluctant to leave their homes.

In a country that heavily relies on foreign aid, this disaster is likely to have a crippling effect on the the economy. At least 1.3 million acres of crops have been destroyed in the Punjab agricultural heartland alone, relief officials said.