Multiple cycles of torrential rain have hit many parts of the country since mid-June, with the government saying the flooding has affected nearly 33 million people – nearly 15 percent of the population. A state of emergency has now been declared and the government has deployed the army to help local administration cope in several provinces.
Where did the flood hit?
Graph showing worst affected areas of Pakistan by number of houses destroyed (UNOCHA) Pakistan’s state television reported that the latest floods displaced thousands of people in the northwestern provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, southwestern Balochistan and southern Sindh. Forecasters say these provinces have received about four times the 30-year average expected rainfall during this period. Local news agencies reported that on Saturday, six more dams burst their banks in different parts of Balochistan, submerging dozens of villages and farmlands. Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said soldiers and rescue organizations were helping people reach safety in those provinces as well as in eastern Punjab. “[The] The government has approved sufficient funds to financially compensate those affected and we will not leave our people alone in this difficult time,” he said. Anadolu Agency reported that the southwestern Chaman border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan remained closed due to heavy rains and flooding.
What is the death toll?
The National Disaster Management Authority, in its latest overnight report, said 45 people were killed in flood-related incidents from Friday to Saturday. This brought the death toll since mid-June to 982 with 1,456 injured. Officials say the death toll since June includes more than 300 children. Pakistani soldiers distribute food to flood victims in Rajanpur, Punjab province on Saturday (EPA) The disaster management authority said most deaths were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, followed by Sindh and Balochistan. The ongoing monsoon and flooding have affected at least 30 million Pakistanis across the country and left many thousands more without shelter, electricity or natural gas. More than 600,000 homes have been destroyed.
What is being done to help?
Pakistan’s climate change minister, Sherry Rehman, tweeted earlier this week that local authorities were unable to help people on their own and appealed to the global community for support. Local television coverage included reports of people in extreme distress, with families wading waist-deep in water, holding their children and carrying essential items on their heads. In several places, school buildings have been turned into shelters for displaced people. UN foreign affairs spokesman Asim Iftikhar said a UN appeal would be held on Tuesday “simultaneously from Geneva and Islamabad”. He said the appeal was “important and will trigger a response from the international community as well as bilateral assistance from other countries”. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif cut short his visit to Qatar and tweeted on Saturday that he would “visit flood-affected areas and meet people”. A displaced family takes shelter on the side of the road after fleeing their flood-hit home in Jaffarabad, Balochistan province, on Wednesday (AP) “The magnitude of the disaster is greater than estimated,” he said. “The times call for us to come together as a nation to support our people as they face this disaster. Let’s overcome our differences and stand by our people who need us today.” Mr Sharif said the scale of the devastation caused by the floods was worse than in 2010, when heavy rains killed 1,700 people in Pakistan. He blamed the “horror of climate change” for the tragedy. Experts say the unprecedented erratic weather, including eruptions and melting glaciers, has almost certainly been exacerbated by the climate crisis. “In recent decades, we have never witnessed such an unusual heavier rainfall in Pakistan,” scientist Shahla Gondal told The Associated Press this week, adding that Pakistani authorities are “ill-equipped and don’t know how to deal with the disaster.” While the UN appeal is awaited, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper launched one fundraiser for flood victims.
