SHADAD KOT, Pakistan — Pakistan's president defended the government's much-criticized response to the country's record-breaking flood crisis as emergency workers worked frantically Monday to shore up a system of levees protecting two southern cities.
The floods, which began nearly a month ago with hammering rains in the country's northwest, have affected more than 17 million people, a U.N. official said, warning the crisis was outstripping relief efforts. About 1,500 people have died in the floods, most in first few days, though the crisis continues to grow.
President Asif Ali Zardari said anger at the government in the coming months is inevitable given the scale of the disaster, comparing it to the anti-government sentiment generated by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the United States.
"There will be discontent, there is no way any nation, even a superpower .... can bring the same level of satisfaction that will be close to the expectations of the people," Zardari said in an interview with a small group of foreign reporters in the capital, Islamabad. "Surely we will try and meet them as much as we can".
Still, he defended his handling of the crisis and said the government "had functioned to its fullest capacity".
The widespread misery of the floods has triggered speculation of social unrest, food riots or even a challenge to the government's rule before its term ends in 2013.
The floods have so far destroyed or damaged 1.2 million homes and affected 17.2 million people, U.N. spokesman Maurizio Giuliano said.
"The floods are outrunning our relief efforts. We move faster and faster, but the finish line keeps moving further ahead," Giuliano said. Associated Press
