Islamabad [Pakistan], August 28 (ANI): United Nations will launch a USD 160 million appeal for Pakistan, the country currently witnessing a devastating flood situation, according to media reports.
The United Nations is set to launch a Flash Appeal in support of Pakistan following devastating rains and floods that have disrupted the lives of millions in the country. Daily Pakistan reported that the UN will launch a USD 160 million appeals.
Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said in a media briefing said that a UN Flash Appeal will be launched on Tuesday (August 30) simultaneously from Geneva and Islamabad. A United Nations relief agency in its report said that at least 2,18,000 houses were completely destroyed and 458 thousand houses were damaged in the past two weeks in Pakistan floods.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that 218 thousand houses were completely destroyed, 458 thousand houses damaged, 2 million acres of crops impacted, 794 thousand livestock lost, 937 deaths and 1343 injured in the past two weeks.
116 districts were affected after “rainfall nationwide is 2.87 times higher than the national 30-year average, with some provinces receiving more than five times as much rainfall as their 30-year average. The humanitarian situation is expected to worsen.
Over 218,000 houses have been destroyed and a further 452,000 damaged since 14 June, according to the NDMA. Livelihoods are also being heavily impacted – more than 793,900 livestock – a critical source of sustenance and livelihoods for many families – have died, of which some 63 per cent are in Balochistan and 25 per cent in Punjab.
Meanwhile, Presidents of Turkey, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates have called on Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and extended sympathy over the devastation caused by the floods. In a telephonic conversation with Shehbaz Sharif, the President expressed grief over the loss of lives in flash floods and assured all-out support to the government and people of Pakistan.
The Prime Minister thanked UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his message of condolences on the loss of precious lives in the flash floods “I am greatly thankful to my brother His Highness Sheikh @MohamedBinZayed for his message of condolences on the loss of precious lives in the flash floods. His words of comfort & support mean a lot to us during this time monumental challenge. We acknowledge his offer of support,” Sharif tweeted. The unprecedented rainfall and floods have created havoc in Pakistan.
Pakistan: 33 million people affected by the worst flooding in a decade
At least 33 million people have been severely affected in Pakistan which is witnessing the worst flooding in a decade due to heavy rainfall caused by climate change. At least 33 million people have been affected by deadly flooding in Pakistan, the country’s climate change minister Sherry Rehman said on Thursday, reported CNN.
Since mid-June, 937 people have died from severe rain and flooding across the South Asian country, according to the country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Sherry Rehman called the floods “unprecedented” and “the worst humanitarian disaster of this decade.” “Pakistan is going through its eighth cycle of monsoon while normally the country has only three to four cycles of rain,” Rehman said. “The percentages of super flood torrents are shocking.”
She highlighted, in particular, the impact on the south of the country, adding that “maximum” relief efforts are underway, reported CNN. The NDMA, Pakistani Army, and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority are working to assist those affected — but there is a “dire” need for shelter and relief due to the rising number of homeless and displaced families, she said.
The southern province of Sindh, which has been badly hit by the flooding, has asked for 1 million tents, while nearby Balochistan province has requested 100,000 tents, she added. “Pakistan’s priority, at the moment, is this climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions,” Rehman said, urging the international community to provide aid given Pakistan’s “limited” resources.
Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal separately told Reuters that 30 million people had been affected, a figure that would represent about 15 per cent of the South Asian country’s population, reported CNN. UN agency Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in an update on Thursday that the monsoon rains had affected some 3 million people in Pakistan of which 184,000 have been displaced to relief camps across the country.
Funding and reconstruction efforts will be a challenge for cash-strapped Pakistan, which is having to cut spending to ensure that the International Monetary Fund approves the release of much-needed bailout money, reported CNN. The NDMA said in a report that in the past 24 hours, 150 kilometres (about 93 miles) of roads had been damaged across the country and more than 82,000 homes were partially or fully damaged.
Since mid-June, when the monsoon began, more than 3,000 kilometres (1,864 miles) of road, 130 bridges and 495,000 homes have been damaged, according to NDMA’s last situation report, figures also echoed in the OHCA report.
OCHA also warned that alerts had been issued for floods, river overflows, and landslides in several areas of Pakistan, and heavy rainfall was forecast for the next two days, too, over most of the country.
Rehman said Sindh has received 784 per cent more rainfall this month than the August average, while the province of Balochistan had received nearly 500 per cent more.
Twenty-three districts of Sindh have been declared calamity-hit, she said. (ANI)
United Nations will launch a USD 160 million appeal for Pakistan
United Nations will launch a USD 160 million appeal for Pakistan, the country currently witnessing a devastating flood situation, according to media reports. The United Nations is set to launch a Flash Appeal in support of Pakistan following devastating rains and floods that have disrupted the lives of millions in the country. Daily Pakistan reported that the UN will launch a USD 160 million appeals.
Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said in a media briefing said that a UN Flash Appeal will be launched on Tuesday (August 30) simultaneously from Geneva and Islamabad. A United Nations relief agency in its report said that at least 2,18,000 houses were completely destroyed and 458 thousand houses were damaged in the past two weeks in Pakistan floods.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that 218 thousand houses were completely destroyed, 458 thousand houses damaged, 2 million acres of crops impacted, 794 thousand livestock lost, 937 deaths and 1343 injured in the past two weeks.
116 districts were affected after “rainfall nationwide is 2.87 times higher than the national 30-year average, with some provinces receiving more than five times as much rainfall as their 30-year average. The humanitarian situation is expected to worsen. (ANI)
