Due to the ongoing monsoon rain, the Pakistani government fears that as much as a third of the South Asian country will be under water. The floods have displaced at least 33 million people and killed more than a thousand.
Pakistan has been plagued by several climatic problems since June, such as heat waves and forest fires. However, the biggest problems at the moment are monsoon rains and melting glaciers. This has caused floods that have completely destroyed roads, houses, bridges, and crops. The south, north, and southwest of Pakistan have been the hardest hit by the floods. Thousands of people have fled to families or to camps set up by the Pakistani government.
One third of Pakistan is underwater.
33 MILLION PEOPLE (1 in 7 Pakistanis) are affected.
2,000 + people so far killed, one third of whom are believed to be children.
Please help by donating. #Pakistan 🇵🇰⚠️❤️🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/Dh3k2sAadl
— Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) August 30, 2022
Although the government uses the military to help stranded people, many believe that the government is doing too little to help the population. For example, some refugees tell Al-Jazeera that they have been given tents, but no food. In addition, thousands of people are still waiting for humanitarian aid. They also find that the government has shown little interest in taking measures to prevent flooding in the future.
According to Pakistan’s Minister of Infrastructure, Ahsan Iqbal, the floods have already caused at least USD 10 billion in damage. The country has asked the international community for support. Yesterday it was announced that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $1.2 billion bailout package for Pakistan. In addition, there are several organizations in the Netherlands, including Islamic Relief and Cordaid, that raise money to provide emergency aid in Pakistan.
Catch up on more stories here
Follow us on Facebook here