Pakistani officials on Tuesday were left struggling after a third attempt to drain the country's largest freshwater lake failed. After weeks of devastating floods, Lake Manchar in Sindh province is dangerously close to overflowing  – which could destroy the surrounding villages.

"Thousands are at risk from the lake," provincial government spokesman Murtaza Wahab said.

Wahab added that despite their best efforts to lower water levels by breaching the dykes, continued inflow was making progress impossible.

Some 100,000 people had been asked to leave the area, he said. If the lake overflows, hundreds of thousands more will have to flee.

At least 1,300 people have been killed and millions displaced amid months of torrential rains in Pakistan. About one-third of the country was flooded. 

Water-borne disease rampant

The region already faces the dangers of water-borne and skin diseases, dengue fever, snake bites and breathing issues, Azra Fazal Pechuho, health minister for the southern province, told a news briefing.

She said 856,000 patients had been treated since flooding began in July, mostly from field and mobile hospitals.

"Over 1,200 of our health facilities are under water," she said, adding the field hospitals were receiving nearly 20,000 diarrhea and 16,000 malaria cases daily.

Although many people were able to evacuate before floodwaters from the lake reached their homes, rescue services continue to use aircraft to search for those stranded in the area.

Although the UN and some foreign governments have pledged hundreds of millions in aid for Pakistan, Islamabad estimates it will cost at least $10 billion to rebuild everything that has been destroyed.

es/msh (dpa, Reuters)