Fatal floods a ‘climate catastrophe’
The United Nations and Pakistan have issued an appeal for US$160 million (NZ$260M) in emergency funding to help millions affected by record-breaking floods that have killed more than 1160 people since mid-june.
UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres said the flooding, caused by weeks of unprecedented monsoon rains, was a signal to the world to step up action against climate change.
‘‘Let’s stop sleepwalking toward the destruction of our planet by climate change,’’ he said. ‘‘Today, it’s Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country.’’
Guterres would visit Pakistan on September 9 to tour areas ‘‘most impacted by this unprecedented climate catastrophe’’, the UN said.
More than 33 million people, or one in seven Pakistanis, have been affected by the catastrophic flooding, which has devastated a country already trying to revive a struggling economy.
More than 1 million homes have been damaged or destroyed in the past 21⁄ months, displacing millions of people. Around half a million are living in organised camps, while others have had to find their own shelter.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the floods had badly damaged crops, and his government was considering importing wheat to avoid food shortages.
Sharif said Pakistan was witnessing the worst flooding in its history, and any inadvertent delay by the international community in helping victims ‘‘will be devastating’’.
The US government said yesterday it would provide US$30M (NZ$48M) in assistance to help victims of the flooding.
According to initial government estimates, the devastation has caused US$10 billion (NZ$16B) of damage to Pakistan’s economy. More than 240 bridges and more than 5000km of road have been damaged.
Although the rains stopped three days ago, large swathes of the country remain underwater, and the main rivers, the Indus and the Swat, are still swollen. The National Disaster Management Authority said floodwaters over the next 24 hours could cause further damage.
Rescuers are continuing to evacuate stranded people from inundated villages to safer ground. Makeshift tent camps have sprung up along highways.
Meteorologists have warned of more rain in coming weeks.
‘‘The situation is likely to deteriorate even further as heavy rains continue over areas already inundated by more than two months of storms and flooding,’’ Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-zardari said.
The UN appeal would provide food, water, sanitation, health and other forms of aid to some 5.2 million people, Guterres said.
Turkey, China, United Arab Emirates and Qatar have already offered relief supplies, some of which has arrived.
Several scientists say the record-breaking flooding has all the hallmarks of being affected by climate change.
‘‘This year, Pakistan has received the highest rainfall in at least three decades,’’ 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.’’