From a hastily erected embankment protecting Pakistan's southern city of Mehar, mosque minarets and the price board of a gas station poke above a vast lake that has emerged, growing to tens of kilometres wide. A new 10-kilometre mud embankment has so far held back the flood from Mehar city, with a population of hundreds of thousands. Izzar Ali, a 33-years-old sweet seller, was one of the locals who worked for days to build the embarkment to save the city. 'We are frontline worriors', says Ali. 'We stay awake all night to reinforce the embankment with sacks of sand and clay.' IMAGES