In Pakistan, fatal flooding has harmed at least 33 million people, according to the nation’s climate change minister on Thursday.
According to the country’s National Disaster Management Authority, 937 people have perished due to heavy rain and flooding since mid-June in the South Asian nation (NDMA).
The floods were referred to as “unprecedented” and “the worst humanitarian tragedy of this decade” by Sherry Rehman, the minister for climate change.
She emphasised the effects on the south of the country in especially and said that “maximum” assistance efforts are being made. The Shehbaz Sharif administration turned to the Pakistan Army for assistance in rescue and relief efforts as floods devastated portions of Pakistan, affecting over 33 million people, resulting in 1,456 injuries and 982 fatalities. Houses and infrastructure have also been severely damaged by the floods, according to Pakistan’s disaster management agency, which said that about seven lakh homes and nearly 3,000 kilometres of roads had been washed away or destroyed.
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh provinces, where heavy rain has continued for a second day in a row and blocked off areas due to damaged roads and bridges, have experienced a “new wave of death and destruction,” according to The Tribune.
Crops and cattle are also damaged as part of the catastrophe.
Due to poor weather, Pakistan International Airlines cancelled all of its Friday flights to Quetta, the capital of the Balochistan province.
According to news agency ANI, the Pakistani government has declared a “national emergency” and will now make a “flash plea” to the UN. There has already been $3 million set aside for the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.
The Tribune added that heavy rain warnings are still in effect as of Tuesday, August 30. The following week is expected to see more rain. The calamity has been most devastating in the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan. Pakistan Railway has paused some operations, while Pakistan International Airlines has cancelled flights to Quetta, the capital of the Balochistan province.
According to news agency PTI, Sindh and Balochistan were the severely affected, and various locations along these regions’ train lines saw a suspension of service.
According to the Dawn, Quetta and its surroundings are still underwater after a 36-hour rainstorm put an end to life as we know it and caused hundreds of families to lose their houses.
Because authorities were unable to restore pipelines that were washed away by floods in the Bolan river, the floods and storms have also contributed to a severe gas shortage.
