ISLAMABAD, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- More than 4.2 million people have been affected by monsoon floods in Pakistan's Punjab province, with southern districts bearing the brunt, according to a rapid needs assessment released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) on Friday.

The survey, conducted jointly with the provincial government from Sept. 8 to 18, covered nearly 2,000 villages in 18 flood-affected districts.

The assessment found that around 2.8 million people were displaced, about 161,700 houses were damaged, and health and education infrastructure also suffered extensive damage.

According to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority, around 3 million people were rescued or evacuated between June 26 and Sept. 19 nationwide. Floods also damaged 12,559 houses and killed 6,509 livestock.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier announced a doubling of ex-gratia compensation for the families of those who lost their lives in the floods, raising the amount from 1 million rupees to 2 million rupees (about 7,000 U.S. dollars). ■