More than six million people have been affected since unusually heavy monsoon rains began at the end of June, with almost 1,000 lost lives, including 250 children.
About 2.5 million people have been moved, numerous shelters in camps managed by the government or in host families which are already stretched at their limit.
“” On the ground, we only see the tip of the iceberg,»Carlos Geha, head of the United Nations Coordination Office (Ochha) In Pakistan, Islamabad told the UN News.
He added that many inappropriate families have not yet returned home and could find their houses and their livelihoods destroyed when the water levels are finally retreating.
Pakistan’s Breadbasket underwater
Exacerbating the Flood of Mousson, the river floods flooded large parts of the Punjab province – the Pakistani food basket – where more than 4.7 million people were affected after India has released water from the dams upstream, leading to rivers that burst their banks.
The Indian authorities had informed Pakistan before the Liberation, which was launched by massive rains which made rivers over northern rivers.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1.6 million people were affected, while the sudden floods triggered by the overflows of the glacial lakes have devastated parts of the Gilgit-Baltistan, cutting entire valleys. The Sindh province remains on high alert for potential “super floods”.
“The government has done a great job evacuating 2.5 million people, which we have not seen in 2022,” said Mr. Geha, recalling the devastating floods that killed more than 1,700 people and caused around 40 billion dollars in economic losses.
“But when the water levels reach 25 feet, swallowing whole villages, there are only few people can do. »»
Aerial view showing the devastation caused by the jhang district floods in Punjab – the most populous province in Pakistan.
Disappeared cultures, lost infrastructure
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reports that more than 8,400 houses, 239 bridges and almost 700 kilometers of roads have been damaged or destroyed.
More than 2.2 million hectares of cultivated land – largely in Punjab – are underwater, destroying harvests and pushing the prices of foodstuffs. The prices of wheat flour alone increased by 25% in the first week of September.
“” These are agricultural families who feed the nation,“Mr. Geha said. Now their land is overwhelmed, their animals have gone and they find themselves nothing. “”
Under tensioning efforts
The UN and its partners find it difficult to match the extent of the disaster. OCHA published $ 5 million from the UN Central emergency intervention fund (Deer), with an additional $ 1.5 million channeled to local NGOs.
Unicef,, Wfp And other agencies are safe water trucks, the supply of health supplies and nutrition and set up temporary learning centers for children.
However, humanitarian workers warn that it is far from sufficient. Many communities remain cut by collapsed bridges and submerged roads, food and drugs reaching them only by boat or by helicopter.
Diseases of water origin like malaria and dengue are already increasing, with fears of cholera outbreaks in the coming weeks.
“Immediate needs are food, health care, refuge, water and sanitation,” said Geha. ” But The next phase will be even more difficult – to help millions of people get back on their feet after losing everything.“”
A member of UNICEF staff distributes hygiene kits and water purification tablets to flood families affected in the District of Jhang, Punjab.
A call for solidarity
Pakistan has endured repeated climatic disasters in recent years, from records in 2022 to heat and drought waves. Humanitarian workers warn that each shock pushes families who are already vulnerable further in poverty.
“This is not the fault of Pakistan – it is one of the countries most exposed to climate change,” said Geha.
“” The international community must be held with Pakistan not only in an emergency, but also to rebuild resilience and restore long -term livelihoods.“”
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
