An increase in water flow down the Indus river on Thursday threatened additional flooding in southern Pakistan, which is already one-third under water as a result of a worsening tragedy attributed to climate change.
At least 1,191 people have died in floods, including 399 children, as a result of record monsoon rainfall and melting glaciers in northern Himalayas. More rain and flash flooding were forecast for September by Pakistan’s meteorological service.
“We’re on high alert as water arriving downstream from northern flooding is expected to enter the province over the next few days,” Murtaza Wahab, the spokeswoman for the government of the province of Sindh, told Reuters. According to Wahab, the Indus River is expected to swell at a pace of roughly 600,000 cubic feet per second, putting the effectiveness of current flood defences to the test.
The situation in Pakistan has been referred to by the UN as a “exceptional climatic catastrophe,” and the organisation has made a plea for $160 million in aid to help the stricken nation.
Following the floods, Pakistan has declared a national emergency. Economic issues have also arisen as a result of the accident, with this month’s inflation rate setting a new record and being the highest in 47 years. According to information given by the government on Thursday, consumer prices increased by 27.26% last month compared to the same period previous year.
More than four million Pakistanis have been impacted by the flood, which has disrupted daily life. The World Food Programme had stated that it hoped to provide food, nutrition, and livelihood support to up to a million people in the upcoming months. Over 6.4 million people, according to the World Health Organization, are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates have started to provide aid to the nation, but Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister, has ruled out taking aid from India.
