Farmers stranded by unprecedented floods that have submerged huge swathes of Pakistan are running low on feed for their cattle, officials said on Tuesday, as airdropping supplies proved a difficult task. The floods caused by record monsoon rains and glacial melt in northern mountains have affected 33 million people and killed almost 1,400, in damage estimated at $30 billion.
 
In the southern province of Sindh, one of the worst affected areas, farmers in several villages have braved rising waters to stay on and try to keep alive their remaining cattle. “A shortage of fodder for cattle has emerged,” said Syed Murtaza Ali Shah, top government official in the provincial district of Dadu, adding that army and navy helicopters were trying to reach the farmers. 

Airdropping supplies would be difficult, however, said a military official, who sought anonymity as he was not allowed to talk to the media. “It is a serious issue,” the army official said. “Airdrops would not work, but it is important that fodder be supplied to livestock.”