‘Humanitarian crisis’: Over 900 people killed in Pakistan floods

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman on Wednesday revealed that over 900 people were killed during monsoon rains across Pakistan since June this year, ARY News reported.

Taking to Twitter, the minister shared that the highest number of deaths and injuries during the time period was recorded in Sindh and Balochistan.

“Since June, 903 people, including 326 children and 191 women, have died in various incidents of monsoon rains and floods.”

سیلاب کی وجہ سے ہزاروں لوگ بے گھر ہو گئے ہیں۔ ریکارڈ بارشوں کی وجہ سے ملک بھر میں انسانی بحران جنم لے چکا ہے۔ حکومت سیلاب زدگان کی امداد کے لئے تمام دستیاب وسائل کو بروئے کار لا رہی ہے۔ اس انسانی بحران سے نمٹنے کی لئے مقامی انتظامیہ اور صوبوں کو مزید وسائل درکار ہیں۔ 2/3

— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) August 24, 2022

“The current climate catastrophe needs immediate International and national mobilization of humanitarian efforts, not just in the form of food, shelter and basic survival amenities but we need to amplify our rescue efforts,” she added.

“Thousands of people trapped in floods are waiting for rescue and relief. This is not the time for division, but for unity. We have to deal with and overcome the humanitarian crisis as a nation, not separately,” the minister said.

Sherry Rehman said NDMA, Pakistan Army, along with the provincial governments are tirelessly involved in dealing with this climate crisis. “Lack of resources is a huge challenge. It is important to coordinate the needs of calamity-hit areas and triangulate with development partners and donors.”

“A concerted and well-coordinated effort is required to deal with this climate emergency that our country faces at present.”

Heavy monsoon rains and floods have affected 2.3 million people in Pakistan since mid-June, according to the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

More than 504,000 livestock have been killed, while nearly 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) of roads and 129 bridges have been damaged, blocking access to flood-affected areas.

The federal government has urged the nation to donate money for the rain-affected areas by depositing to the Prime Minister Relief Fund Account 2022.

وزیراعظم فلڈ ریلیف اکاؤنٹ 2022 میں عطیات جمع کرانے کی تفصیلات
سٹیٹ بینک آف پاکستان نے تمام کمرشل بینکوں کے ذریعے عطیات جمع کرنے کا سرکلر جاری کر دیا ہے اندرون و بیرون ملک پاکستانی عطیات اس اکاؤنٹ میں جمع کرا سکتے ہیں بارشوں کا 30 سال کا ریکارڈ ٹوٹ گیا ہے #PMReliefFund

— Marriyum Aurangzeb (@Marriyum_A) August 24, 2022

According to the data shared by Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Sindh, over 290 people have been killed in Sindh in rain-related incidents and flash floods.