“Third” of Pakistan Under the Water

Heavy rains that started in June resulted in the worst flooding in Pakistan. Rain and flood disasters in all four provinces of Pakistan, more than a thousand deaths, 33 million people have been displaced and are awaiting immediate relief, while millions of cattle have also been swept away.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 1136 people have been confirmed dead in two-and-a-half months due to rains followed by floods in Pakistan caused by the unusually long monsoon season. So far there has been a loss of life or property in 110 districts of the country where more than 150 thousand houses and buildings have been damaged and more than millions of livestock have been washed away in rural areas by the flood.

The Sindh province has been the most affected by floods where in 23 districts, more than 14.5 million people have been affected by natural disasters. In 34 districts of Baluchistan province, more than 9.1 million people are among the victims. 4.8 million inhabitants have been affected by the recent rains and floods in 8 districts of Punjab. In 33 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), more than 4.3 million people were affected in one way or another by the floods.

The recent rains and floods caused confusion and chaos; the largest southern province Baluchistan has disappeared from the radar, land and air routes are closed, landlines and mobile phone signals were also down, and it has become difficult to get news of flooded Baluchistan. According to the Ministry of Interior, approval has been given to deploy Pakistan Army in all four provinces to help the civil government under Article 245 of the constitution.

The National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) have declared the country’s three expressways and one motorway as dangerous for normal travel in view of the current weather conditions and have asked for strict implementation of the travel guidelines in this regard. Pakistan Railways suspended all trains running between Lahore to Karachi and Quetta from 26-30 August.

It is worth sharing that epidemic diseases broke out in flood-affected areas and 4 people including 3 children died of stomach disease in the Khairpur district of Sindh province. Due to the flood situation in Sindh, the number of epidemic diseases increased a hundred times in two days. According to the officials of the Sindh Health Department, more than 340,000 people have suffered from several diseases due to the flood; affected people include children, women, and senior citizens. Hundreds and thousands of cases of diarrhea, dysentery, malaria, dengue, skin diseases, asthma, and various chest diseases have been reported in the above-mentioned areas. According to health experts, polluted water is the main cause of these diseases in the current situation.

Federal Finance Minister Mr. Miftah Ismail believes that Pakistan has faced at least a $10 billion loss as a result of this flood.

On the other hand, the international community has started responding to the call for help for the flood-affected people. According to the US embassy in Islamabad, the US government and people are deeply saddened by the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan. The US Embassy announced that it will give $ 30 million in humanitarian aid through USAID. The US embassy said that it will work with local partners and authorities for assistance, and the purpose of the assistance is to provide immediate food, clean water, financial help, and shelter to the flood victims.

In the statement issued by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), it is said that the United States has given the aid of PKR 6.5 billion to Pakistan after the appeal of Foreign Minister Mr. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari; on his appeal, China, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, and other countries announced immediate aid. Moreover, on the appeal of Foreign Minister Mr. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, other important goods including tents, medicines, and food items are being given by the UN member countries. The People’s Party has claimed that Foreign Minister Mr. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has collected about one trillion 30 billion rupees from the member countries of the United Nations (UN) in one hour.

Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN Mr. Munir Akaram met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York. During the meeting, the United Nations Secretary-General expressed his deep grief over the devastation caused by floods in Pakistan and said that he will make a special appeal to the international community to help Pakistan, which will make the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction possible in the country. In the meeting, Mr. Munir Akaram also informed Antonio Guterres about the deaths, and the displacement of more than 33 million people due to the flood in Pakistan, on which the Secretary General of the United Nations assured full cooperation. According to a UN official spokesman, the United Nations Secretary-General will come to Pakistan next week and he will visit the areas most affected by climate tragedies. After the meeting, the Secretary General of the United Nations issued a global appeal for emergency aid of $ 160 million for Pakistan and said that the world must stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of the planet due to climate change. He said that today it is Pakistan, and tomorrow it can happen to any other country; Pakistan is one of the most affected countries by climate change.