°®Âþµº

Authorities in are scrambling to protect a vital power station supplying electricity to millions of people against a growing threat of , officials said on Monday, taking steps such as building a dike in front of it.

Floods from record monsoon rains and glacial melt in the mountainous north have affected 33 million people and killed almost 1,400, washing away homes, roads, railways, livestock and crops, in damages estimated at $30 billion.

Both the government and UNÌýSecretary General have blamed climate change for the extreme weather that led to the flooding, which submerged nearly a third of the nation of 220 million.

The electricity station in the district of Dadu in the southern province of Sindh, one of the country's worst-affected areas, supplies power to six provincial districts.

Troops were busy strengthening a dike built in front of the station, a visit to the site showed on Sunday.

"All preventive measures have been taken already to save the grid in case any flooding happens," Syed Murtaza Ali Shah, a top district official, told Reuters on Monday.

Ongoing disease outbreaks in Pakistan, including acute watery diarrhoea, dengue fever, malaria, polio, and Covid-19 are being further aggravated, particularly in camps and where water and sanitation facilities have been damaged

— °®Âþµº (@The_NewArab)

The comment followed orders from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, reported by state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, to ensure the 500kV power station did not get flooded.

UNÌýagencies have begun work to assess the South Asian nation's reconstruction needs after it received 391 mm (15.4 inches) of rain, or nearly 190 percentÌýmore than the 30-year average, in July and August.

received 466 percent more rain than average and all the flood waters pass through Dadu, a district with a population of 1.5 million, given its location.

(Reuters)