— Over 30 million people in 72 districts of the country affected, says Bilawal
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday appealed to the international community for $160 million in emergency aid to provide relief to the victims of floods in Pakistan.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking through a video link during the 2022 Pakistan Floods Response Plan (FRP) event, said infrastructure in the affected areas of Pakistan was destroyed by the floods and the country was in dire need of help from the international community to help those affected.
He said Pakistan is in need of $160 million in aid for the flood victims, adding that greenhouse gases are causing an increase in global warming.
During the ceremony, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also appealed for emergency assistance to Pakistan during these times of distress.
He added that due to climate change, heat waves have broken all records in Pakistan and now the country is facing heavy rainfall and flooding.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairperson said more than 30 million people in 72 districts of the country are currently affected by the catastrophe, while systems of communication and crops have been destroyed and the economy has taken a significant hit.
“Providing food, a roof and rehabilitation to the victims is a big challenge,” Bilawal said, adding that the Benazir Income Support Programme has also been helping the affected families.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal also spoke at the event as he is the chairperson of the “Relief Coordination Committee” constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Resident Coordinator in Islamabad, and the Assistant Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) were also in attendance.
“The launch event will be attended by all UN Member States as well as various UN agencies and humanitarian organizations working in the area of disaster relief. The FRP will acknowledge the Government’s overall humanitarian response to the recent floods caused by unprecedented rains in Pakistan,” the FO had stated earlier.
Initially, authorities in Pakistan were slow to react but the latest reports from the troubled regions indicate the damage caused by current floods is far greater than the super floods of 2010.
Unprecedented flash floods caused by historic monsoon rains have washed away roads, crops, infrastructure and bridges, killing at least 1,000 people in recent weeks and affecting more than 33 million.
On Monday, Climate Minister Sherry Rehman and meteorologists told the AP that new monsoons were expected in September. Monsoons have hit earlier and more heavily than usual since the start of summer, officials say — most recently with massive rains last week that affected nearly the entire country.
Pakistan is accustomed to monsoon rains and flooding, Rehman said, but not like this.
Several scientists say the record-breaking flooding in Pakistan has all the hallmarks of a catastrophe juiced by climate change, but it is too early to formally assign blame to global warming.
“This year Pakistan has received the highest rainfall in at least three decades. So far this year the rain is running at more than 780 percent above average levels,” said Abid Qaiyum Suleri, executive director of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute and a member of Pakistan’s Climate Change Council.
“Extreme weather patterns are turning more frequent in the region and Pakistan is not an exception.”
Pakistan saw similar flooding and devastation in 2010 that killed nearly 2,000 people. But the government didn’t implement plans to prevent future flooding by preventing construction and homes in flood-prone areas and river beds, said Suleri of the Climate Change Council.
Floods and monsoon rains have damaged one million houses and affected 33 million people.
It reflects how poorer countries often pay the price for climate change largely caused by more industrialised nations. Since 1959, Pakistan is responsible for only 0.4 percent of the world’s historic CO2 emissions. The US is responsible for 21.5 percent, China for 16.5 percent and the EU for 15 percent.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), at least 498,000 people in the country are in relief camps after being displaced.
Many more displaced flood victims are believed to be living with relatives, friends or out in the open, without shelter.
Pakistan started receiving international aid this week, and more planes carrying aid from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) landed at an airport near Islamabad on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the military.
It said Chinese planes carrying aid will also arrive in Pakistan later Tuesday.
Pakistan has also deployed at least 6,500 soldiers to help authorities in rescue and relief operations.
