Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Officials: Pakistan Faces Risk of More Flooding VOA News 25 August 2010 Pakistani villagers make their way through flood waters in Baseera, Pakistan, 24 Aug 2010 Photo: AFP Pakistani villagers make their way through flood waters in Baseera, Pakistan, 24 Aug 2010 Pakistani officials say the flood-ravaged country faces a high risk of more flooding in its southern regions in the coming days. The officials say the Indus River is expected to reach very high levels late this week near the southern city of Hyderabad in Sindh province. Emergency workers in Sindh were shoring up levees Tuesday to protect low-lying areas. They also were evacuating tens of thousands of people from Sindh's Shadad Kot district. The United Nations is appealing to the international community for at least 40 more helicopters to provide aid to about 800,000 stranded Pakistanis who it says are reachable only by air. The floods that began hitting Pakistan almost one month ago have killed an estimated 1,600 people and wiped out villages, infrastructure and farmland, leaving almost five million people homeless. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said any slackness in the global response to the floods may give extremists an opportunity to promote what he described as their destructive agenda. He was speaking in Islamabad Tuesday in a meeting with the visiting U.S. Commander of the U.S. Central Command, General James Mattis. Mr. Gilani thanked the U.S. government for what he called its prompt assistance with flood relief operations. The Pakistani prime minister said the floods have damaged more than 200 health facilities in the country and displaced about one third of its female health workers. The disruption to Pakistan's health infrastructure has complicated efforts by authorities and aid workers to prevent outbreaks of waterborne disease among flood victims. Officials say millions of people are at risk of contracting such illnesses. The Pakistani government has promised to give $230 to each family affected by the floods. Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP. .