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[VIDEOS] Pakistan devastated by floods

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"The United States is deeply saddened by the devastation caused by flooding throughout Pakistan. Through <a href="https://twitter.com/USAID?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USAID</a>, we will provide $30 million more in life-saving humanitarian assistance to those who have lost their loved ones, livelihoods, and homes." -DB <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmbBlome?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AmbBlome</a> 1/2 <a href="https://t.co/OL4r0YgV6Z">pic.twitter.com/OL4r0YgV6Z</a></p>— U.S. Embassy Islamabad (@usembislamabad) <a href="https://twitter.com/usembislamabad/status/1564615893358968836?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
This is truly heart breaking. 30 million people are affected!!

I want to donate but want to make sure it does to the people and not Shahbaz Sharifs pocket. Any suggestions anyone?

Sad thing I seen there are thousands of Indians celebrating this. Sick idiots
 
adzzy786 said:
This is truly heart breaking. 30 million people are affected!!

I want to donate but want to make sure it does to the people and not Shahbaz Sharifs pocket. Any suggestions anyone?

Sad thing I seen there are thousands of Indians celebrating this. Sick idiots
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Edhi, helping hands, Al-khidmat
 
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday extended an olive branch to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, urging him to set aside his acrimony, for now, and work together for providing relief to fellow countrymen affected by unrelenting rains and floods.

Speaking to the international media at the PM House, the premier said he wished to ask Mr Khan to sit with him and move forward on relief efforts and bring the country out of this crisis. “Let’s put together a united effort, let’s move with unity of thought and action, let’s move in unison,” Mr Sharif said in an unprecedented appeal to his predecessor, at a time when both the government and the former ruling PTI are at daggers drawn following Mr Khan’s alleged threats to the police, judiciary and the army and the subsequent cases against him.

Besides this interaction, the PM had a busy Tuesday, as he reached out to several world leaders and expressed his gratitude for extending moral and financial aid to Pakistan to mitigate the sufferings of the flood-hit people

Denying apprehensions that the rescue effort may have got delayed because the media was preoccupied with the wrangling between politicians, Mr Sharif said he had on multiple occasions offered to form a ‘charter of economy’, but was not taken seriously by Mr Khan.

The PM also virtually ruled out the possibility of vegetable imports from India to overcome shortages caused by devastating floods, saying the two sides needed to talk about the human rights situation in India-held Kashmir. He added he was ready to sit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and talk over the issue.

Mr Sharif, however, said a committee had been constituted to explore the possibility of importing vegetables and other food items, revealing the government was in talks with Russia for import of wheat.

After the meeting, he also tweeted: “If it is us today, it can be somebody else tomorrow. Threat of climate change is real, potent and staring us in the face.”

PM thanks world leaders

In another tweet, PM Sharif said in line with his commitment, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was leading a humanitarian aid drive for the flood-affected people of Pakistan. “[Six] flights have landed so far; 2 more will arrive tomorrow. Train carrying relief goods left Ankara for Pakistan,” he tweeted.

He also expressed gratitude to the Chinese leadership and people. “This flood is like no other in terms of its intensity and spread. China has been there for us at the most difficult times & we greatly value its support,” the PM tweeted.

Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang expressed solidarity with the government and people of Pakistan over the human and financial loss in the recent floods that have devastated huge parts of Pakistan.

The first batch of relief aid from China containing 300 tents would reach Karachi on Wednesday (today) that the Chinese envoy would hand over to the Pakistani authorities.

PM-IMF: Later, the PM also stressed upon breaking the “economic straitjacket” through structural reforms. “Revival of IMF program, though critical to our economy, is not an end in itself. It offers a pathway to reorient our economy. We will have to work hard to make it self-sufficient. Pakistan must break out of economic straitjacket, which is only possible through structural reforms,” he tweeted.

PM-EU Council: While talking to PM Sharif over the phone, EU Council President Charles Michel offered his condolences over the loss of precious lives and the material damage as a result of devastating floods in Pakistan.

The PM thanked the EU president and appreciated their support of 2.15 million euros for flood-affected people in Pakistan.

Call to UAE ruler: Later, Mr Sharif also called Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, president of the UAE, and briefed him about the latest flood situation. The PM lauded the work being carried out by the Emirates Red Crescent and Khalifa bin Zayed Foundation in the flood-hit areas. Sheikh Mohamed expressed solidarity with the people of Pakistan and offered all-possible assistance to the affected people.

In another message, the PM thanked the UN for helping Pakistan in this time of need.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2022
 
The government on Tuesday allocated over Rs103 billion to provide urgent relief to 4.1 million flood-affected people and also approved a grant to give the State’s Guest status to a delegation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that is currently visiting the country.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet, which took the decisions, also doubled the country’s strategic wheat reserves quota, besides allowing the additional import of 800,000 metric tons of wheat by reversing a one-month old decision.

The ECC approved a summary and directed the BISP to disburse a total of Rs25,000 per household in the calamity-affected districts for poverty score up to 32, according to the Ministry of Finance.

The Finance Division will consult with the BISP to discuss the financial implications and required modalities. Furthermore, the Federal government will ask the provinces to provide their share in the relief for flood affectees, it added.

Read: UN makes pitch for Pakistan fundraising

The Ministry of Poverty alleviation and social safety submitted a summary for emergency cash assistance to affectees of the flash floods 2022.

The ministry has estimated the cost of Rs25,000 per family relief at Rs103.2 billion for a total beneficiaries of 4.12 million.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed the BISP to identify the bottom 60% population of affected notified areas of the country with the help of National Socio-Economic Registry Data.

In addition to initial relief, the government will separately compensate the people for the construction of their homes.

Unprecedented rains and flash floods across the country have resulted in loss of lives and properties. According to initial estimates about 33 million people have been affected by the floods. The relief money was approved the day the United Nations launched a global appeal for $160 million aid for Pakistan to help around 5.2 million people.

The ECC also approved Rs7 million budget for the National FATF Secretariat to incur expenses on giving the State of Pakistan’s Guest status to the FATF delegation.

The ECC was informed that the FATF team of 15 members was visiting Pakistan from 29th August to 2nd September in order to verify the stance of Pakistan as reported in cyclic reports.

The delegation has arrived to verify Pakistan’s claim that it has fully implemented all the 34 conditions that the global body fighting money laundering and terror financing had set under two different action plans for Pakistan’s exit from the grey list.

The visit has been described as “crucial” by Pakistan to make an exit from the grey list. Pakistan had been put on the list in February 2018 with effect from June of that year and since then is under global scrutiny.

This was a period that India exploited to change the demographic status of Jammu & Kashmir when Pakistan’s hands were tied and its economic conditions were weak to sustain any prolonged period of confrontation.

The Rs7 million expenses will be incurred on accommodation, food and travel of the FATF delegation during the five-day visit that is ending on Friday.

The ECC reversed its one month old decision to reduce the country’s strategic wheat reserves and also cut the import requirements. The Ministry of National Food, Security and Research presented a summary on re-fixing national wheat strategic reserves to the level of 2 million metric tons.

“In the wake of recent rainfall and flood damages ensuing financial issues of farmers for the next wheat sowing season, rising local wheat prices and hoarding and smuggling issues, the 1 million metric tons current quantity is insufficient”, according to the food ministry. .
In order to ensure wheat availability across the border and to stabilize local wheat prices, it was proposed that the quantum of wheat strategic reserves may be retained at the level of 2 million metric tons.

The ECC approved to reverse its decision and allowed for maintenance of strategic reserves of wheat at the level of 2 million metric tons, including a quantity of 80,000 tons on account of SAARC food bank.

Pakistan is paying Rs35 per kg subsidy on local wheat and Rs59 on imported wheat to provide wheat flour at relatively lower rates on the government-run utility stores corporation.

The ECC directed the Trading Corporation of Pakistan to arrange a further quantity of 800,000 metric tons either through government-to-government deal or open tender.

It was added that import of 800,000 metric tons wheat is allowed to the private sector with provision that subsidy shall not be provided for such imports of wheat, according to the decision.

The Ministry of Communication submitted a summary for extension of time to complete the business plan for the National Highway Authority from June 30, 2022 to Sep. 30, 2022. It was shared that NHA has already shared information with ADB consultants for preparation of the business plan of NHA.

However additional time is required to complete the same.

This summary was approved by ECC with the provision that no further extension would be given. In case a further extension is sought, the Finance Division will start deducting interest on Cash Development Loans (CDL).

The ECC also approved signing of the remaining six agreements with Italy, Japan and Spain for deferment of $189.5 million loan repayments under the G-20 debt relief initiative. With the fresh signing, the total relief that Pakistan obtained stood at $3.7 billion since the large 20 economies of the world provided the window.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pakistan's devastating floods: <br><br>- 1350 people killed<br>- 50M people displaced<br>- 900K livestock deaths<br>- 1M houses washed away<br>- 40+ reservoirs breached<br>- 220+ bridges collapsed<br>- 90% cropped damaged<br>- $10B loss to economy<br>- 1/3 country underwater<br><br>Source - PDMA / NDMA <a href="https://t.co/TG6jnL8zZQ">pic.twitter.com/TG6jnL8zZQ</a></p>— South Asia Index (@SouthAsiaIndex) <a href="https://twitter.com/SouthAsiaIndex/status/1564255495396917248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
The death toll from the devastating floods soared to 1,162 on Wednesday as flood waters which came from the north began to breach banks and affected more than a million people in Sindh’s Dadu district.

According to the daily report by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), more than 3,500 people have been injured so far since June 14.

Around 1,941 people were injured while 36 were killed during the past 24 hours.
 
t's simply so overwhelming and it's hard to put into words. Pakistan is drowning.

An area of land that is the equivalent of the whole of the UK is under water.

Our team is witnessing a mass exodus of people made homeless in their own homeland. But there's nowhere to go, there is water everywhere.

These people have been on the move for days. Their children are all ill but, there's no money for a doctor or medication.

Pakistan officials are unequivocal, they believe this is a very real consequence of climate change.

Its citizens have been experiencing extreme weather conditions, starting with a heatwave which caused glaciers to melt in the north and now a monster monsoon.

Some people have managed to stay at least close to where they once lived and called home. They work on these fields.

Radha told us: "We almost drowned, we managed to escape here and are really anxious. We almost lost the smaller children as the water besieged us."

It's a huge agricultural expanse of land and now it's an island. They are surrounded by water and muddy bogs - you cannot even walk through it to get to the main road.

As we were driving we saw an entire village of people wading through the water. They had tied their beds to tyres as makeshift rafts. Abandoning their homes, they salvage what they can.

While passing, Mashook said: "We don't even have a boat to save our belongings. We've just picked up what we can and carried it ourselves. We've been ruined, we're homeless".

They don't know where they are going or what they will do. People have not just lost their homes but their livelihoods too. And they are frustrated. The aid is not coming through.

Sat on the side of the road, a woman named Balkees told me: "Everybody has lost their livelihoods, our youngsters are all educated but can't work now. What are we to do? We're poor people. Nobody cares about us."

Earlier, Pakistan's climate change minister told Sky News that the flooding was stretching the country "to the max" and that more help was urgently needed.

The people here in Sindh, like millions of others up and down the country, are finding what little dry land they can on riverbanks, in muddy fields and on roadsides.

For now, this is home.

SKY
 
I used the Punjab Bank link but Contribution still not gone through( Although this wasn't a big amount).
 
Was not following any news due to busy schedule. Today I really grasped the magnitude of the catastrophe.

Feeling sad and numb.
 
MenInG said:
The death toll from the devastating floods soared to 1,162 on Wednesday as flood waters which came from the north began to breach banks and affected more than a million people in Sindh’s Dadu district.

According to the daily report by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), more than 3,500 people have been injured so far since June 14.

Around 1,941 people were injured while 36 were killed during the past 24 hours.
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Normally people are evacuated before the flood waters hit the land. Inefficiency of Government is obvious to see.
 
Humanity should try to do as much possible to help Pakistan in it's hour of need
Unfortunately it's the poorest of poor suffers most
 
Hope things get better soon. Humanity comes before animosity.
 
I think the Modi government should send aid to Pakistan.... Not only will it help the people affected but also may rebuild a bridge between Pakistan and India..
 
Romali_rotti said:
I think the Modi government should send aid to Pakistan.... Not only will it help the people affected but also may rebuild a bridge between Pakistan and India..
Click to expand...

They may literally have to build bridges.

Infrastructure has a taken a huge hit.
 
SWAT / MANSEHRA / ISLAMABAD: Prime Min*ister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday visited flood-hit areas in Khyber Pakhtun*khwa and announced Rs10 billion in funds to rehabilitate the calamity-hit areas, even as a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) painted a grim picture of the health and humanitarian crises simmering across the country.

During his visit to Kalam and other parts of Swat, the premier met the flood survivors and addressed a gathering in Kalam and Kanju wherein he promised all-out help by the federal government in overcoming the crisis.

About the Rs10bn package, PM Sharif said the federal government, the Nat*ional Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and the provincial administration would ensure transparency and immediate disbursement of money in the affected areas.

According to the PM, the federal government had allocated an amount of Rs28 billion which was being disbursed among the affected through the NDMA and the Benazir Income Support Programme. He added every affected family was being given a cash amount of R25,000 whereas each family was entitled to Rs1 million compensation if they had lost a loved one in the floods.

“The cash support announced by the federal government is no substitute for the loss of lives…but it is the responsibility of the government to provide maximum comfort in this hour of grief,” the premier added. At least 5,000km of roads were damaged in the country due to flooding as per the latest reports, according to PM Sharif.

In pictures: Misery mounts for millions amid flood devastation across Pakistan

During his address in the Pattan area of Lower Kohistan, the prime minister said thanked the United Nations and other nations for extending support to Pakistan in this hour of need. “The friendly countries…stood with us in this critical time [and] pledged financial assistance for reconstruction and rehabilitation of infrastructure and population affected by the calamity,” he added.

‘Restore power supply’

In a meeting following his visit to KP, PM Sharif directed authorities concerned to restore the power supply and repair damaged roads in the flood-hit areas within two days with the help of the Frontier Works Organisation.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the authorities concerned to rehabilitate the flood-hit roads and communications infrastructure by Friday and asked the Power Division to submit a report on work for power supply restoration since August 25,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

He also instructed for the revival of road connectivity between Kalam and Swat by next week and the repairing of Balochistan’s power transmission network within the next 48 hours.

The prime minister instructed Power Minister Khurram Dastgir to visit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to monitor the restoration of power transmission lines and submit a report by 10am today (Thursday).

116 districts affected by floods

The WHO in its report said that at least 888 health facilities were damaged in rain-induced floods that have affected 116 out of 154 districts across the country. It further said that over 1,000 people were killed while as many as 15,000 were injured in floods. Over 33 million people have been affected out of which 6.4 million people, including 421,000 people displaced by floods, were in dire need of humanitarian aid, the WHO added.

“As of August 28, 888 health facilities have been damaged in Pakistan of which 180 of them are completely damaged,” it stated. The health body stated that Pakistan was already battling multiple outbreaks, including Covid, and added that the “current situation will highly likely increase the spread of disease especially if/when response capacities are hindered”.

“Ongoing disease outbreaks in Pakistan, including acute watery diarrhoea, dengue fever, malaria, polio, and Covid-19 are being further aggravated, particularly in camps and [areas] where water and sanitation facilities have been damaged,” the report stated.

“WHO has also diverted mobile medical camps, including those responding to Covid-19 teams, to affected districts, delivered 1.7 million aqua tabs to ensure access to clean water, and provided sample collection kits to ensure clinical testing of samples to ensure early detection of infectious diseases,” the report stated.

Meanwhile, speaking to BBC News, British High Commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner linked these floods to climate change. “…The evidence I am seeing on the ground is that this level of impact is unprecedented. This is not just a bad monsoon season. It is a whole lot more and I think it’s the era of climate catastrophe in which were are now in,” he added.

Defence Day ceremony postponed

Separately, the army postponed the Defence Day ceremony at the General Headquarters to express solidarity with the flood victims. ISPR chief Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar said that the Pakistan Armed Forces shall continue serving our brothers and sisters struck by unprecedented floods.

Baqir Sajjad Syed and Syed Irfan Raza also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2022
 
Dreadful to watch. Like the Wrath of God in the Book of Exodus.
 
MenInG said:
They may literally have to build bridges.

Infrastructure has a taken a huge hit.
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I saw the videos bro, you are right. My prayers with Pakistan and all those affected.... Wishing you all a speedy recovery...
 
69Bt1vk.jpg


Rainfall 10 times heavier than usual caused Pakistan’s devastating floods, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Thursday, as it released satellite images of a vast lake created by the overflowing Indus River.

Rains, described by UN chief Antonio Guterres as a “monsoon on steroids” have claimed hundreds of lives since June, unleashing powerful floods that have washed away swathes of vital crops and damaged or destroyed more than a million homes.

Data from the EU’s Copernicus satellite has been used to map the scale of the deluge from space to help the rescue efforts, the ESA said in a statement.

“Heavy monsoon rainfall – 10 times heavier than usual – since mid-June have led to more than a third of the country now being underwater,” it said.

The agency released images from the satellite showing an area where the Indus River has overflowed “effectively creating a long lake, tens of kilometres wide,” between the cities of Dera Murad Jamali and Larkana.

Officials say more than 33 million people are affected – one in every seven Pakistanis – and reconstruction work will cost more than $10 billion.
 
Apple CEO Tim Cook has announced on Twitter that the tech giant will donate to flood relief and recovery efforts in crisis-hit Pakistan. Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in northern mountains in Pakistan have triggered floods that have reportedly killed at least 1,191 people, including 399 children.

He said, "the floods in Pakistan and surrounding areas are devastating humanitarian disasters. Our thoughts are with those that have lost loved ones, the many displaced families, an ..

Read more at:

https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...ofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
 
The loss of lives and destruction to communities is heartbreaking.

I'm so tired of Pakistan being in this helpless position where it's relying on the mercy of international donors after another disaster that could've been mitigated had successive governments not wrecked the economy and invested in flood defences and climate resiliency. The lessons should've been learned from 2010.
 
People in southern Pakistan face yet more devastation after record floods blamed on climate change submerged a third of the country, killing more than 1,100 people.

A surge of water is now flowing down the Indus river, threatening communities in southern Sindh province.

Local officials say 1.2 million people have been displaced in Dadu district in Sindh, where hundreds of villages are submerged - and there is still more water coming.

Mudslides and flood waters are travelling down from the mountains towards villages in this district.

The military is evacuating the stranded by plane and many others by boat. Thousands more are still on the flood path and need to be moved - but there isn't much time.

An official who is part of the operations on the ground tells me they've been working in the region for a month now.

"More water is coming, we are starting to see it. There is too much need, not enough of us, but we are doing our best," he tells me before getting on a large boat.

It can take hours in the water, as the villages are far from each other.

In Khairpur Nathanshah, the military, aid workers and villagers are all racing to get people to dry land when we join them on a boat.

After some time in the water, we come across a village, where scores of people are standing outside their flooded homes.

Dozens climb aboard, but not everyone can be rescued on this trip and the boats will need to return. For one man, the uncertainty that help will return is unbearable.

"I left my family back at the village because I need to go and find food. But I don't know when the next boat will arrive and when I'll be able to return to them," says Perviz Ali, his voice trembling before he breaks down.

On our way back to dry land, we come across more people and stop to help them. The group of four men have been wading in the water for hours - three boats had gone past them in a rush to get to more villages. For one of them, it was too long a wait.

"Our friend Ghulam drowned just moments before you arrived, he slipped and he was swept away. We couldn't save him. He's gone," said one of them, Zahid Hussain.

I ask Mr Hussain what made him decide to leave.

"The water level was as high as my head in my house, I knew that if I didn't leave now, I will drown."

In another part of Dadu, on the roadside, families do not even have tents or any kind of shelter. For many, this has been going for weeks, living in the open with nothing.

"Our children are hungry, we're not getting any help. Why is no one doing anything? We've lost everything, why is no one helping?" says Rafiq, a mother of three children, all under six years old.

These families tell me that of course they are heartbroken about what has happened to them, but sadness is turning into anger that their situation is not changing. They feel helpless and frustrated with the authorities who drive pass them daily.

Not far from Rafiq, Shabana is cradling a one-month-old baby, born just before the floods arrive in her village. She is hungry, but so is her mother and she cannot breastfeed little Rizaaq.

"I have no milk to give. I have been living here for two weeks - nobody has even given anything. We struggle for food every day. No one has come to even bring milk for our babies. I am afraid for him," the woman says.

The roads on either side of this district are treacherous - they've been damaged by the floods, causing hours of queuing traffic.

Delivering aid here is going to be a mammoth task.

BBC
 
The Foreign Office on Friday rejected a report carried by an Indian news outlet alleging that a banned organisation was undertaking relief work during devastating floods in the country.

In its report, The Times of India claimed that banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) "have come out in full strength to deliver relief work and collect funds across the country" — the allegation outrightly rejected by the Foreign Office.

"Pakistan categorically rejects the contents of the story. It only betrays India's bias and prejudice towards Pakistan, and is part of India’s regular and continuing attempts to mislead the international audience," the FO said in a statement.

The FO said it was not the first time that the Indian media had shown "their proclivity to carry baseless and motivated stories to further a political agenda".

According to the spokesperson, it was also unfortunate that while the international community was "single-mindedly focused on helping Pakistan in the wake of an unprecedented natural calamity", but some elements in the Indian media were attempting to cast doubts on the relief efforts.

The FO maintained that Pakistan had put in place strong and robust regulatory and oversight mechanisms to monitor flood relief activity by non-profit and non-governmental organisations.

"All relevant agencies are vigilant in ensuring that no illicit activity is carried out under the garb of relief efforts," it added.

DAWN
 
Markhor said:
The loss of lives and destruction to communities is heartbreaking.

I'm so tired of Pakistan being in this helpless position where it's relying on the mercy of international donors after another disaster that could've been mitigated had successive governments not wrecked the economy and invested in flood defences and climate resiliency. The lessons should've been learned from 2010.
Click to expand...

No lessons will be learnt from this. Its our way not to plan and think ahead.
 
The National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NFRCC) on Saturday held a briefing on the ongoing rescue and relief efforts and expressed resolve to fight the devastating floods together while urging the people to contribute to the effort.

The televised briefing took place after the first formal session of the newly-established flood response nerve centre.

DG ISPR Major General Babar Iftikhar assured the nation that the army would stand by the people in this hour of need and the "people's trust is the biggest asset of the Pakistan Army".

He said army troops were performing rescue and relief operations in collaboration with Rangers, Frontier Corps, disaster management authorities, civil administration and welfare organisations under the Relief, Rescue and Rehabilitation (RRR) strategy.

“The army chief visited the flood-affected areas and made a detailed assessment,” he said, adding that all formations and senior commanders of the army were present in flood-affected areas and engaged in relief operations.

As per the COAS's instructions, the army "will not abandon people in this difficult time, no matter how much time and effort it takes," Maj Gen Babar said.

According to the military's spokesperson, 276 helicopters of Pakistan Army Aviation were working in different areas of the country.

Soldiers risked their lives to partake in relief activities, he said, mentioning the Lasbela army chopper crash which resulted in the death of six officers. He maintained that soldiers were working on rescue operations for the last two months, treating it like a "sacred responsibility".

Maj Gen Babar added that people trapped by floods in Kamrat and Kalam were also evacuated to safer areas by army helicopters.

He also stated that free medical facilities were being provided at 250 army medical camps which had assisted 83,000 patients.

Elaborating further, the military spokesperson said the army had distributed three-day worth of rations to flood affectees - weighing around 1,685 tons and had also distributed 25,000 Meal Ready to Eat (MRE) along with tents.

Maj Gen Babar added that 284 flood relief collection points were established across the country wherein 2,294 tons of rations, more than 311 tons of basic necessities and more than 1,070,000 medicines were donated by the people of Pakistan.

"So far 1,793 tons of ration and 277 tons of other necessities have been distributed among the victims. Moreover, around 770,000 medicines have also been provided to the flood victims," he said.

Mentioning the efforts of the Pakistan Air Force, he said C130s and helicopters rescued more than 1,521 people during 135 sorties and added that 41 relief camps of the PAF were helping people, and more than 16,000 patients had been provided medical assistance in 35 free medical camps.

Babar also said that the Pakistan Navy's emergency response teams and diving teams were busy helping flood victims across the country and that 10,000 people had been rescued. The navy had, so far, distributed more than 55,000 food packages, including 650 tons of rations and more than 1,080 tents.

Moreover, he added that 19 medical camps were providing free medical assistance to more than 18,000 patients.

An army relief fund account for flood victims had also been established wherein people from all over the country "generously helped their affected brothers and sisters".

"In view of this sentiment, all generals have dedicated one month's salary for flood victims”, he said.

To date, Rs417 million had been collected by the army relief fund for victims with Rs 44 million collected in the past 24 hours, the DG ISPR said.

Furthermore, leaderships of friendly countries were also in constant contact with the army chief so that steps could be taken to help the people, he stated.

'Magnitude of loss huge compared to our resources'

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan was facing the worst climate-induced damage in recent world history, with 33 million people affected by the floods.

“The magnitude of this loss is huge compared to our resources, however, our commitment is also big”, he added. The minister maintained that it was impossible to face the calamity alone.

Highlighting the devastating loss across the country, he stated that 1,500 mm of rain fell in some areas, compared to the 20-30 mm average of previous years and that the regions of South Punjab, Dir, Nowshera and Charsadda were badly affected.

“More than one million houses were damaged, about 5,000 kilometres of roads were ruined and a fortnight ago, 14 major highways connecting the country’s main logistics hubs were cut off.”

Discussing relief efforts, Ahsan said that the Pakistani armed forces and other agencies jointly repaired some of the highways while the remaining ones would also be restored in the coming days.

He further said recovery efforts in Punjab were rapidly undertaken, adding that Dera Ghazi Khan was badly affected by inundation which left 54 dead.

Commenting on the situation in Sindh, Ahsan maintained that the water drainage was slow with 230 perishing in the province.

So far, 69 of the 81 submerged grid stations have been restored, and 758 of the 881 feeders damaged were repaired while work was ongoing on the remaining 123, he said.

“2,900 of the 3,500 mobile phone towers affected have been restored,” said the planning minister, adding that the prime minister had issued directions to fix the remaining 600 towers soon.

Ahsan further said that the armed forces, government, and civil society would be integrated with the response centre and that every Pakistani who wants to donate should donate to armed forces centres established across the country to collect donations.

Chairman NDMA Lieutenant General Akhtar Nawaz underlined that the meteorological department had predicted 20-25% more rain in the country, whereas in actuality, Pakistan saw more than 190% of its usual rainfall.

“These rains used to occur in Kashmir, North and Central Punjab, however, this time there were heavy rains in Southern K-P, Punjab, DG Khan, Rajanpur and Sindh,” he added.

According to the NDMA chief, 1,265 people were killed by the floods so far, most of whom were children.

Moreover, 5,563 km of roads were damaged, 1.4 million houses were destroyed and 735,000 cattle were washed away in the floods, Gen Nawaz maintained.

“A high power committee was established for relief at the federal level and seeing the situation, a national emergency was declared”, he said.

As part of the relief efforts, Rs25,000 were given to every household and 57,400 food packages of 90 kilogrammes each were distributed to the victims, he said.

The disaster management agency chairman also announced that flights bearing relief food arrived from Turkey, China, and France, and 98 tons of dry fruits, boats, and medicine will be arriving from Turkey.

Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Babar Iftikhar chairman flood commission, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairperson Lieutenant General Akhtar Nawaz, deputy chairperson and national coordinator of the NFRCC, and a representative of the metrological department attended the earlier meeting of the newly-established body.

The forum was apprised of the latest flood situation in the country and the response measures taken to rescue and provide relief to the affected people. The attendees were also informed of the rehabilitation plan for the affected areas, communication, and infrastructure.


Earlier this week, the incumbent coalition government decided to establish the NFRCC to cope with the flood situation and rehabilitate the impacted people.

Read Flood relief fails to reach remote areas

The decision was made at a meeting of the allied parties chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The NDMA chief briefed the meeting about the situation of floods in the country and relief activities.

PM Shehbaz said that the centre would “serve as a bridge between disaster management authorities, donors and government institutions”.

According to the premier, the NFRCC would collect and analyse the latest information and pass it on to relevant government agencies, as well as oversee rescue and relief work, including the restoration of infrastructure.

Express Tribune
 
With floods having wreaked havoc on standing crops across the country and farmers still counting their losses from the devastation, former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday predicted a "bumper crop" next season due to increase in fertility of the affected land.

"Currently, all the places are submerged in water, but when this water will recede, the biggest advantage would be that farmers will have a bumper crop when they cultivate their wheat in this fertile land," he said while talking to the media during his visit to Rojhan.

During his visit, the former premier was briefed on the relief efforts. Imran said the floods have caused devastation across the country. "All need to work together including the members of provincial and national assembly, government and me to help flood victims," he added.

He urged the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to collect data on how much damage was caused by the floods as it will be helpful in the rehabilitation process.

"Thousands of acres of land is currently submerged in water. I will discuss the issue of further assistance to the flood victims. Flood is a big challenge for us, but we will overcome it together," he added.

Imran Khan directed authorities to provide mosquito nets to people in the flood-hit areas. "I urge the representatives to go to flood-affected areas as they need your help," he added.

The former prime minister said that the country needed more dams to prevent such disasters, adding that Pakistan needed at least two more big dams. He asked the party workers presented on the occasion not to raise political slogans as it was not a rally.

“These are really testing times for people. We, the members of the provincial and national assembly, the government and I, should all help the flood victims,” he further said.
 
The journey north up the Swat Valley in Pakistan is a lesson in just how overwhelming the power of a natural disaster like this can be.

Whole villages are swept away, towns are cut in half, a hydroelectric power station is overwhelmed and smashed and roads and bridges along the way are destroyed.

Like other disasters, even though the rains that brought this destruction have stopped for now, the disaster and its consequences have not.

Over a week on, the suffering of people who survived is growing by the day.

The aid is desperately needed, and the donors are well-intended, but the chaos caused by its arrival can be disturbing to watch.

Crowds of men await relief trucks to arrive at ad hoc distribution points.

Without police control, we saw hundreds of men overwhelm one of these trucks.

'No one came here to help': Pakistan's massive floods reveal the cost of global apathy

Ignoring the delivery men, wielding thick hose pipes, they clambered on board, grabbing anything and everything inside.

A little further north, we entered the town of Bahrain, a major tourist destination on the banks of the river Swat.

It's now split in two; a torrent of water surges through the town centre, with its main bridge washed away.

The southern part of the town remains connected to the rest of the Swat Valley, so there are supplies of food.

Everything to the north is cut off.

Across the waters, they've constructed makeshift rickety bridges - one no more than a single plank wide - and, more precarious, cable trolleys are strung across the flood-created ravine by wire.

People who live here criss-cross the fast-flowing waters, ferrying supplies to the homes untouched by the flood.

All homes and businesses on the old river front have either been washed away or are catastrophically damaged.

For many who live here, life is difficult but manageable.

Thirty-year-old Imran Khan, whose family owns a hotel, says he found higher ground before the centre of town was hit, and that he and many others were shocked by the ferocity of the water.

"It was so, so, so, so dangerous, we were so afraid when it came and flowed, it was a huge amount of water coming," he says.

He adds that people are getting anxious and angry because aid is taking so long to trickle in.

"People are cut off because bridges are washed away by the flood, but, alhamdulillah, local people help each other a little bit, but the relief is not enough for us, we need a lot of food items and medicines and such more items for homes, shelters, etc, that would be a little bit good for us…"

Bahrain is important because it is now the gateway to the north of Swat, to the major town of Kalam, and the villages that lie beyond.

As many as 200,000 people are stranded there and they are totally cut off.

As we filmed, we noticed men carrying very heavy looking sacks, hundreds of them all heading in one direction, most alone, some with their families.

Clambering over rocks and travelling fast, determined but exhausted.

People explained to us that the men had come from the Kalam Valley and beyond by foot.

Scaling high mountain passes and dangerous tracks, their journeys took between six and nine hours one way as it's 36km (22 miles) to the valley.

They simply have no choice but to undertake this gruelling journey as they all have families at home, waiting for food.

Pakistan Army helicopters are attempting to drop aid in the valley, but with 200,000 people in need, what they can supply is a drop in the ocean.

The journey north begins at a wooden plank bridge that groans under the weight of the men as they stream across.

At either end, stewards try to control the flow for fear the bridge will collapse.

'It's a very challenging walk, you have to climb up hilltops and through mountains'

We met Khalid, a red baseball cap sheltering his face from the blistering sun, carrying lentils, flour, oil, and other food supplies, in a large rucksack.

He was heading back to his wife, children, mother, and father.

"We are planning to travel another 36km to Kalam Valley… it will take me at least six hours," he explained, wiping the sweat from his face.

"It is a very difficult walk, you can see I am already all sweaty, I'm carrying this heavy load and the path is not good, it's a very challenging walk because you have to climb up hilltops and through the mountains."

The destruction in Bahrain is significant, many buildings have been washed away, but even those still upright should probably be condemned.

They stand precariously above the floodwaters but most were engulfed up to three storeys and all will have had their foundations damaged as the water swept through.

On the newly deposited rocks and enormous boulders that crashed through the town, women do their washing and put it out to dry.

100-year-old couple have never seen anything like this

In one building, its front fascia broken away, Shamshaya is surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She is 105 years old, frail but with an inner strength.

She has seen a lot through her long life in the Swat Valley, but says life has changed here - and not necessarily for the good.

"The weather has changed, it was very good in the past, the climate was good and people were happy even though it was a simple life, now we have more infrastructure but everything has changed for us, the weather has changed everything," she says, clutching her blue prayer beads.

Shamshaya's husband, centenarian Chari Gul, adds: "This is a disaster, the flood destroyed everything.

"I am 115 to 120 years old, but I haven't seen floods like this in my entire lifetime.

"They are cutting the forests, that's why the weather is changing - and now we have more rain, and the weather is getting warmer."

The real priority here now is to redirect the river and to build bridges and repair the roads heading north as almost everything beyond this town is destroyed.

Diggers lift boulders and drop them into the water, trying to create barriers to the flow; time really is of the essence if people to the north are to get any relief.

Neither faith nor resolve can be doubted in Pakistan, but this is overwhelming, and they desperately need help.

SKY
 
MenInG said:
With floods having wreaked havoc on standing crops across the country and farmers still counting their losses from the devastation, former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday predicted a "bumper crop" next season due to increase in fertility of the affected land.

"Currently, all the places are submerged in water, but when this water will recede, the biggest advantage would be that farmers will have a bumper crop when they cultivate their wheat in this fertile land," he said while talking to the media during his visit to Rojhan.

During his visit, the former premier was briefed on the relief efforts. Imran said the floods have caused devastation across the country. "All need to work together including the members of provincial and national assembly, government and me to help flood victims," he added.

He urged the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to collect data on how much damage was caused by the floods as it will be helpful in the rehabilitation process.

"Thousands of acres of land is currently submerged in water. I will discuss the issue of further assistance to the flood victims. Flood is a big challenge for us, but we will overcome it together," he added.

Imran Khan directed authorities to provide mosquito nets to people in the flood-hit areas. "I urge the representatives to go to flood-affected areas as they need your help," he added.

The former prime minister said that the country needed more dams to prevent such disasters, adding that Pakistan needed at least two more big dams. He asked the party workers presented on the occasion not to raise political slogans as it was not a rally.

“These are really testing times for people. We, the members of the provincial and national assembly, the government and I, should all help the flood victims,” he further said.
Click to expand...

Khan sahab clearly doesn’t understand the agriculture industry / how farming works and said this ignorant statement after reading headline of a clickbait piece.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As per my commitment to ensure transparency, Government has decided to get PM Flood Relief Fund audited by AGPR & a private audit firm of global standing. They will audit all incoming & outgoing funds including where & how the money is spent.The audit reports will be made public.</p>— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1566070457253728256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
The rain-induced devastating floods in the country that have already ravaged Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and parts of Punjab leaving millions homeless and over 1,250 people dead in their wake continue to wreak havoc in Sindh.

The situation at Manchar Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in Pakistan, is becoming critical with each passing day, threatening the lives and assets of the residents of five union councils of Jamshoro district.

The Sehwan Airport, an installation of an oil company as well as Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s home village, are located in the five UCs – Bubak, Aarazi, Wahar, Jaffarabad and Channa.

Jamshoro Deputy Commissioner Capt (retd) Fariduddin Mustafa on Saturday issued evacuation orders for the people of the five UCs, saying that they should move out to safer places.

The water level at the lake further increased to 123 Reduced Level (RL) amid strong winds.

During his recent visit to Manchhar Lake, the Sindh chief minister said that the water level in the lake would be dangerous if it reached to 123 feet, which at that time was 120.75 feet.

The lake’s gushing water flooded two rural towns – Jhangara and Bajara – and surrounding villages on Saturday.
 
Pakistan’s officially recorded death toll from the floods rises to 1,290 with 26 more deaths reported in the last 24 hours

Over 35% of these — 453 —- are children
 
Manchar Lake cut to release water pressure
Water levels had risen to dangerous levels threatening multiple villages in Jamshoro

JAMSHORO:
Government authorities made a cut at Manchar Lake on Sunday in a desperate attempt to protect villagers in Sindh.

The situation at Manchar Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in Pakistan, is becoming critical with each passing day, threatening the lives and assets of the residents of five union councils of Jamshoro district.

The Sehwan Airport, an installation of an oil company as well as Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s home village, are located in the five Union Councils (UCs) – Bubak, Aarazi, Wahar, Jaffarabad and Channa.

Jamshoro Deputy Commissioner Capt (retd) Fariduddin Mustafa on Saturday had issued evacuation orders for the people of the five UCs, saying that they should move out to safer places.

The water level at the lake had further increased to 123 Reduced Level (RL) amid strong winds.

During his recent visit to Manchhar Lake, the Sindh chief minister had said that the water level in the lake would be dangerous if it reached 123 feet, which at that time was 120.75 feet.

The lake’s gushing water had flooded two rural towns – Jhangara and Bajara – and surrounding villages on Saturday.

The cut made to release water pressure in Manchhar Lake is expected to affect some 400 villages in seven UCs in the area.

Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro confirmed while speaking to The Express Tribune that the cut was made to reduce the pressure on the lake and to secure Dadu, Mehar and Sehwan.

"Technically, it was necessary to make a cut to the lake," he said, adding that a few UCs were affected after the cut.

Sources said that the officials of the irrigation department had urged the government to act immediately as the area between RD-50 to RD-55 was left vulnerable due to the pressure of the water. Resultantly, the cut was made from RD-14.

Mustafa Mallah, a resident of Manchhar Lake told The Express Tribune that except for a dozen villages, all the remaining human population was badly affected. “The situation is critical,” he said.

Residents of Johi, Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah and other areas had already demanded the provincial government to make a cut and save the residents of three taluks.

The villages and towns are particularly endangered by the rising water pressure on the lake’s embankments after deluging Jhangara and Bajara towns.

“The next 24 hours will be very critical,” the DC had said yesterday (Saturday). “We are keeping a watch on the banks day and night.”

The road links of many small towns and villages with Sehwan had already come under water. The lake received around 40,000 cusecs water from Main Nara Valley (MNV) drain and the hill torrents. However, only around 25,000 cusecs was released in the Indus River and 15,000 cusecs had been retained in the lake.

Army flood relief efforts

The National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NFRCC) in a statement said that as many as 307 army aviation helicopters sorties have been flown to various areas across the country for evacuation of stranded people thus far.

As many as 3,147 stranded individuals have been evacuated through these helicopter sorties including 479 evacuated during the last 24 hours through 31 sorties.

44 tons of rations/medicines have been transported on 31 helicopter sorties during last 24 hours, as per the official statement.

“3,021 tons of food items along with 383 tons of sustenance items and 1,479,802 medicines have been collected so far,” it added.

2,459 tons of food items 329 tons of sustenance items and 112,110 medicines distributed so far while 88,697 patients were treated in 250 medical camps established across Pakistan.

The communiqué said scouts have established kids facility at flood relief camps in Sibbi and ration distribution in progress at Goth Suleman and Besham (Uthal) areas.

The NFRCC said army engineers’ efforts are in progress to strengthen banks of Manchar Lake while Peshawar Corps engineer troops opened Bahrain Bridge after a lot of efforts. “This has helped to connect people in Swat valley.”

The statement said Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) along with National Highway Authority (NHA) assisted by Rawalpindi Corps troops has opened Karakoram Highway for light traffic.

Express Tribune
 
47,000 pregnant women live in Sindh's relief camps: Azra Pechucho
The health minister said cases of waterborne diseases also rampant across the province

KARACHI: Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho on Sunday said that almost 47,000 displaced pregnant women from flood-hit areas in Sindh have been placed in relief camps across the province's different areas.

The provincial health minister stressed on the need for medical supplies following the flood-induced devastation in Sindh.

Pechuho, in an interview with DawnNewsTV, said that over 134,000 cases of diarrhoea and 44,000 cases of malaria have been reported in the province.

Following the catastrophe, the health minister said that flooded areas are now confronted with disease outbreaks due to stagnant flood water and lack of hygiene.

Flood-hit areas gripped by waterborne infections
It is important to mention here that following the unprecedented deadly floods triggered by monsoon rains more than 500% above average levels, the affected people are now facing outbreaks of diarrhoea, dengue, skin diseases, and other waterborne infections across the country, say health officials.

Many flood victims, including women and children, are complaining of psychological distress after losing their homes, loved ones and livelihoods, the officials added.

Public and private health officials said diarrhoea, cholera and other waterborne diseases had started killing both adults and children in the flooded areas in different districts of Sindh, Balochistan and southern Punjab, while people had also started losing lives due to malaria, but no accurate figures were being provided by the health officials.

“As many as 17,242 people, including men, women and children, were treated for skin infections at 442 fixed and mobile camps in Sindh. Diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, typhoid and dysentery are the second most common diseases among flood affectees followed by respiratory infections. Around 14,869 cases of waterborne diseases and 13,326 cases of respiratory illnesses were treated on Friday at 442 medical camps, established by the Sindh health department,” an official of the Directorate General of Health Sindh told The News.

'0.6 million pregnant women need healthcare services'
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) stressed the need for providing healthcare facilities to almost 650,000 pregnant women in flood-affected areas in Pakistan.

In a statement, the UNFPA said that it estimated that almost 650,000 pregnant women in the flood-affected areas require maternal health services to ensure a safe pregnancy and childbirth.

“Up to 73,000 women expected to deliver next month will need skilled birth attendants, newborn care, and support,” says the UN agency.

In addition to this, many women and girls are at an increased risk of gender-based violence (GBV) as almost 1 million houses have been damaged.

Of the 6.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance following the monsoon rains, floods, and landslides in Pakistan, more than 1.6 million are women of childbearing age, said the UNFPA.

The Pakistan government, however, estimates that around 33 million people across the country are affected, including an estimated 8.2 million women of reproductive age.

‘Pregnancies can’t wait for emergencies to be over’
“Pregnancies and childbirth can’t wait for emergencies or natural disasters to be over. This is when a woman and baby are vulnerable and need the most care. UNFPA is on the ground, working with partners, to ensure that pregnant women and new mothers continue receiving life-saving services even under the most challenging conditions,” says UNFPA Pakistan Representative Dr Bakhtior Kadirov.

More than 1,000 health facilities are either partially or fully damaged in Sindh province, whereas 198 health facilities are damaged in affected districts in Balochistan, Kadirov said, adding that the damage to roads and bridges has also compromised girls' and women's access to health facilities.

“We will continue supporting health facilities with the equipment and human resources to be fully operational despite the challenging humanitarian conditions,” Kadirov added.

The official maintained that the UNFPA is scaling up its emergency response to provide life-saving reproductive health services and commodities, including dignity kits, for women and girls.

UNFPA Pakistan has, so far, procured 8,311 dignity kits, 7,411 Newborn Baby Kits, and 6,412 Clean Delivery Kits for immediate delivery to Sindh, Balochistan, KP, and Punjab, Kadirov added.

The News PK
 
Chippa, Ehdhi, Saylani, Imran Khan Foundation, AL khidmat, JDC, Alamgeer trust are all very reliable and doing good work. I am sure there are more as well.
 
Gushing floodwaters burst through Main Nara Valley Drain near Dadu district

A breach occurred naturally in Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD), commonly known as Right Bank Outfall Drain-I, at RD-10 upstream Manchhar Lake on Tuesday that is expected to lower the water level in the country’s largest lake, officials said.

Water and Power Development Authority Chief Engineer (water) in Sukkur Naeem Qadir Mangi confirmed the development, explaining that an “afflux” had been created as Manchhar had not been receiving water from MNVD for the last couple of days.

“Finally, this afflux eroded a part of the bank at RD-10, causing a breach in MNVD.”

According to Sindh Special Irrigation Secretary Jamal Mangan, “the breach at RD-10 will help deplete Manchhar’s [water] level”.

Manchhar lake has been witnessing a surge in its water level in recent days as floodwaters from the north and hill torrents from Balochistan flow southwards to converge in Sindh, leaving behind a trail of deaths and destruction.

As of 6am today, the water level in Manchhar was recorded at 123.25-foot reduced level, Mangan said.

The reduced level of 124ft is described as dangerous.

Later, an engineer of the provincial irrigation department, Mahesh Kumar told Dawn.com that the water in the lake had dropped further to 123.2-foot reduced level. The was one decimal point less than the level of 123.3 RL recorded the previous night, he added.

Earlier, authorities had breached the lake’s dyke at two locations, in a bid to save the densely populated cities of Sehwan and Bhan Saeedabad from flooding by diverting water to less populated areas.

Mangan said water flowing from the breaches at RD-14 and 52 was accumulating in a pocket. “Now, water flowing from the breach in MNVD at RD-10 will also end up in the same pocket.”

A Dawn.com correspondent present at the site reported that around five people were swept away by raging waters and later rescued after water burst through the breach at MNVD.

He said the five individuals were on motorcycles and passing by the drain when the path they were on collapsed and they fell in the raging waters.

Meanwhile, there were also reports of flooding in the five union councils of Sehwan — Jafferabad, Bubak, Wahur, Channa and Arazi — aggravating as a results of breaches at RD-14 and 52.

The reports of flooding began coming on Monday, with the first breach having been made on Sunday.

Dawn reported that the runway at Sehwan’s Shahbaz Airport was under a foot of water while the Pak-Arab refinery located in the area was also inundated.

Meanwhile, there were also reports of over 100 villages in Sehwan’s five affected UCs experiencing worsening floods, which compelled residents to evacuate.

Sardar Sikandar Rahopoto, an MNA from Sehwan, told Dawn.com on Tuesday that a population of around 150,000 was affected due to breaches on Manchhar’s dyke and most of the affected families and individuals had been evacuated.

Separately, Jamshoro Deputy Commissioner Fariduddin Mustafa said residents affected by floods were being provided rations, cooked meals and other facilities.

Meanwhile, a motorway police officer, Saqib Ahmar, said that the Indus Highway from Sehwan to Bhan Saeedabad had drowned due to flooding and traffic was also closed for that section.

Being downstream on the Indus River, the southern parts of the country have witnessed swelling river waters flowing from the north. Pakistan’s limited dams and reservoirs are already overflowing and cannot be used to stop downstream flows.

An update on the Flood Forecasting Division’s website showed that there was a high-level flood in the Indus River at Kotri.

Sindh CM plans to dewater agri-lands
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, while talking to a high-power delegation of UAE led by Hamoud Abdulla Aljeibi and DG Secretary UAE Red Crescent regarding the relief work in Sindh, stressed dewatering agricultural lands so that wheat crop could be sown to avoid the famine-like situation in the province.

“We have to rehabilitate over 1.5 million people, restore 3,172,726 acres of land for rabi crops — particularly wheat — otherwise food shortage would emerge,” he said, adding that this was a gigantic task for which the international community would have to support the provincial government.

Shah said that agricultural machinery, fertilizers, seeds, and technology would be arranged to provide growers to start sowing wheat. “Our wheat is the most important rabi crop, and it was badly needed to meet the wheat requirement of the province.”

Separately, the chief secretary told the delegation that over a million tents, three million mosquito nets, kitchen sets, mosquito nets for animals, ration bags, and drinking water were needed.

The UAE Secretary of Red Crescent, Relief and Rehabilitation, Hamoud Abdullah Aljeibi, told the chief minister that the country was ready to support the people of Pakistan, particularly Sindh who had suffered immensely.

He said that on September 10, a program was being organized in Dubai to raise funds for the flood-affected people of Sindh.

“We are arranging more tents, mosquito nets, medicines, and other required materials so that the original need can be met,” Aljeibi added.

The chief minister also highlighted that the water coming down the hills of Balochistan was still wreaking havoc in various districts of the province, particularly Shahdadkot, Dadu, and Jamshoro.

He added that due to breaches in Manchhar Lake and other drains the number of people being rendered homeless was increasing day by day.

COAS visits rain-hit areas of Balochistan
Earlier in the day, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the far-flung flood-affected areas of Balochistan.

According to a statement by the military’s media wing, the army chief overviewed relief efforts in Usta Muhammad and Jafferabad districts where he was briefed about the ongoing rescue operations.

“The COAS met with the troops and appreciated their efforts for the flood affectees.”

The Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) added that Gen Bajwa met local elders in Sui and inquired about their well-being and other issues.

11 more deaths reported
Separately, the National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NFRCC) said the floods had claimed 11 lives over the past 24 hours across the country, taking the death toll since June 14 to 1,325.

Scattered thunderstorm/rain of moderate intensity with isolated heavy falls were expected over the upper catchments of all major rivers along Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Lahore and Faisalabad divisions, it said.

The centre said that 363 army helicopters had been flown to various areas for evacuating stranded people. “In the last 24 hours, 25 sorties have flown and evacuated 131 stranded individuals and delivered 32 tons of relief items to flood affectees,” the latest update said.

It added that so far, 3,716 stranded Individuals had been evacuated through these helicopter sorties.

Further, the centre said that there were 147 relief camps in Sindh, South Punjab and Balochistan while 284 relief item collection points had been established across the country.

“More than 250 medical camps established so far in which more than 97,000 patients have been treated all across the country and provided 3-5 days’ free medicine,” the NFRCC said.

The centre also said that construction of Saggu bridge at N-95 (DI Khan) was in progress and was likely to be completed by today.

“Electricity supply restored in Khuzdar and repair work on Dadu-Sibi-Quetta transmission line is in progress,” the statement said, adding that the gas supply in Quetta had been partially restored.

International aid continues
Meanwhile, Japan announced it would provide emergency grant assistance of $7 million to Pakistan, according to a news release issued by the Japanese embassy.

Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan Mitsuhiro Wada reaffirmed his commitment to support the country and assured his government stood ready to help the flood-affected people.

“Given the rapidly rising scale of needs, we consider it critical to extend our best support and stand available to the affected”, he said.

Qatar also announced it had launched an air bridge to continue the relief campaign for flood affectees, according to a press release from the Qatar Fund for Development.

It said a relief aid plane was sent through the Emiri air forces, in cooperation with the Permanent Committee for Search and Rescue of the Internal Security Forces of Lekhwiya, Qatar Charity and the Qatar Red Crescent, containing 23 tonnes of medical materials, medicines and special materials to improve shelter facilities.

The UN refugee agency also said it was scaling up support to Pakistan.

“Starting Sunday, UNHCR has mounted a huge airlift operation from Dubai — meant to focus on the worst affected areas of southern Sindh province, where Larkana and Sukkur are the most impacted cities in the country with limited assistance for those displaced from their homes, who require various essential supplies,” reads a news release from the agency.

It added that the first three of nine scheduled flights had arrived on Monday in Pakistan — with the other five on their way. The aid included 40,000 sleeping mats, nearly 15,000 kitchen sets and some 5,000 multi-purpose tarpaulins.

The UNHCR said that an additional six flights are scheduled from Dubai for Wednesday and Thursday, with 4,500 sleeping mats, 400 tarpaulins, and nearly 5,000 kitchen sets.

“UNHCR trucks carrying tents for some 11,000 families are also on the road from Uzbekistan, with more convoys scheduled,” the UN refugee agency added.

Impending health crisis
Pakistan is struggling to respond to the floods given their unprecedented magnitude. The government has said 33 million people — 15pc of its population — have been affected.

The United Nations has appealed for $160 million in aid to help tackle what it said was an “unprecedented climate catastrophe” and nations had been extending financial and moral support with promises for more.

Meanwhile, large-scale displacements and countries limited resources have led to fears of an impending health crisis.

According to the World Health Organisation, nearly 900 health facilities have been damaged due to floods in the country, 180 of them completely destroyed.

And with stagnant water everywhere preventing people from observing even a modicum of hygiene practices, stomach ailments and skin infections have become rampant.

According to the Sindh government, in August alone nearly 200,000 cases of acute watery diarrhoea and dysentery had been reported among children in flood-affected areas.

Given the state of affairs, Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel said on Sunday that over 1,200 medical relief camps would be set up in more than 20 flood-hit districts this month to provide medical assistance to affected citizens.

DAWN
 
Ample world rice supplies to cushion impact of Pakistan, China crop losses
Food prices have soared in markets across Pakistan as devastating rains ruin crops and disrupt supplies

SINGAPORE:
Abundant rice supplies in key exporters may largely offset an expected drop in output after floods in Pakistan and severe heatwave in China damaged crops, capping any gains in prices from steady Asian demand.

Pakistan, the world's fourth-largest rice exporter, suffered extensive damage to agriculture, including rice, as floods ravaged large swathes of its farmland, while extremely high temperatures in parts of China at the end of August have taken a toll on rice output in the world's biggest importer of the staple.

However, global rice stockpiles are pretty comfortable and an improving Indian crop outlook should quell any supply concerns and limit any price increases from recent strong demand that has emerged from Bangladesh, said a Singapore-based trader at one of the world's top rice trading companies.

Pakistan is forecast to have lost around 10% of its 2022 estimated rice production of around 8.7 million tonnes, while China has suffered some damage, although the extent of crop losses is not clear, traders said.

Food prices have soared in markets across Pakistan as devastating rains ruin crops and disrupt supplies, an early sign of how the worst floods in decades are creating food shortages at a time of financial crisis.

"Pakistan's rice output has been really good over recent seasons," Peter Clubb, a market analyst at the International Grains Council said. "While any large production loss is obviously bad, that improvement in production over recent seasons gives a bit of leeway."

China's Agriculture Minister Tang Renjian expressed concern that high temperatures and drought have hit rice production in the eastern provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui.

"It is too early to say exactly how poor yields (in China) may be," Clubb said. "A general point, stocks in China are still very ample."

MONSOON BOOSTS INDIAN CROP PROSPECTS

Monsoon rains, which were delayed in parts of India's northern and eastern rice producing regions, have improved over the last couple of weeks, boosting crop prospects in the world's largest rice supplier, traders said.

India had earlier been examining a need to restrict exports of 100% broken rice mainly used for feed purposes.

But an improvement in rainfall over Indian rice growing areas has ended any discussion of government restrictions on exports, said a second trader in Singapore who sells Indian rice to buyers in Asia and Africa.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's world price index fell for a fifth month in August, after hitting a record in March after Russia invaded Ukraine, as a resumption of grain exports from Ukrainian ports contributed to improved supply prospects.

However, strong demand from Bangladesh has underpinned rice prices in recent weeks.

Bangladesh plans to import around 1.2 million tonnes of rice over the next few months to shore up reserves and cool high domestic prices.

A senior Bangladeshi food ministry official said the country is buying 530,000 tonnes of rice from India, Vietnam and Myanmar under government-to-government deals and is in talks with major producers India, Vietnam and Thailand.

Indian rice prices last week climbed to their highest in more than a year at around $383 per tonne , although the market is well below the 2021 high of $405 and 2020 peak of $427.50.

Thailand and Vietnam, the world's second- and third-largest rice exporters respectively, have agreed to cooperate on raising prices, a move aimed at increasing leverage in the global market and boosting farmers' incomes.

Express Tribune
 
Pakistani authorities are struggling to stop their biggest lake from bursting its banks after last-ditch attempts to lower water levels failed.

Manchar Lake, in Sindh province, is dangerously full after record monsoons that inundated a third of Pakistan.

Three breaches of the lake's banks so far - two to protect areas nearby - have displaced over 100,000 people.

But it could still overflow and rescue teams are racing to evacuate many more people who remain at risk of drowning.

Floods in Pakistan have affected some 33 million people and killed at least 1,314, including 458 children, Pakistan's National Disaster Management Agency said.

Estimates suggest the floods have caused at least $10bn (£8.5bn) of damage.

Sindh province produces half of the country's food supply, exacerbating fears of serious food shortages in a country already struggling with an economic crisis.

On Sunday, officials breached Manchar lake after it had flooded two rural towns. The hope was the move would prevent it from further bursting its banks and inundating more densely-populated areas.

The move affected an estimated 400 villages - a total of 135,000 people. The decision to deliberately flood some villages is a controversial one - the lake straddles two districts, Dadu and Jamshoro, both home to hundreds of thousands of people, and about 80% of the region is underwater.

Now residents near the lake are using government machinery to strengthen embankments to try to avoid a catastrophic, unplanned overspill.

"There are three breaches in the lake, two by plan, one is unplanned breach. It is our target that our big cities, towns, we can save them," Sindh's minister of irrigation Jam Khan Shoro told the BBC's Newshour programme.

Villagers were warned to evacuate before the planned breaches. But local sources say not everyone was taken to safety in time - some didn't want to leave their homes or livestock, a lifeline for many in rural communities, and there are few places for them to go.

Map showing damage done by monsoon rains
The military has been brought in to help with evacuations but mostly locals are coming to each other's aid.

Some who've left their homes in the last few days ahead of the Manchar breach were taken to a nearby government-run facility that's being used as a shelter for the displaced, but the conditions leave much to be desired.

Many displaced people are living on the roadside without shelter, food or clean drinking water.

"We have we got nothing here, we try to find food for our kids all day, some nights we sleep without food," one woman told the BBC.

"We are scared that the roof may collapse on us - it's damaged," another villager said. "Our children are getting sick and we've been sleeping on the floor - there aren't beds for many of us."

Officials have said a little over a quarter of a million people are in shelters, a fraction of the 33 million Pakistanis affected. Relief efforts can't keep pace with demand - there is simply too much need and too few resources.

Damaged infrastructure is also hampering aid and rescue operations. Some connecting roads in Sindh province have either collapsed, are flooded or are backed up for days with queuing traffic.

Pakistan is facing one of its worst climate-induced natural disasters in years, as record torrential rainfall and melting glaciers in the country's northern mountains have caused devastating floods.

Meanwhile, UN children's agency Unicef said more children were at risk of dying from disease in Pakistan due to the shortage of clean water.

The disaster has also highlighted the stark disparity between countries that are the largest contributors towards climate change and countries that bear the brunt of its impact.

Pakistan produces less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions but its geography makes it extremely vulnerable to climate change.

BBC
 
House reconstruction to cost Rs1tr
Around 2m houses to be reconstructed in aftermath of floods

KARACHI:
Pakistan is expected to reconstruct around 2 million houses worth around Rs1 trillion in the flood rehabilitation phase that will ramp up economic activities and create vast job opportunities in construction and allied industries.

Heavy rainfall and flash floods, which broke a 30-year record this year, have damaged and destroyed wide-scale infrastructure and housing units across the country.

“As per data of the government and national as well as provincial disaster management authorities (NDMA and PDMA)…around 2 million housing units are expected to be reconstructed in rural and urban areas with the beginning of rehabilitation phase,” Sono Khangharani, CEO Thardeep Microfinance Foundation (TMF), said while speaking at a press conference organised by the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) on Wednesday.

The foundation has so far financed around 1,400 low-cost housing units over 10 to 12 years until the recent flash floods hit the country.

“Rehabilitation and reconstruction activities are likely to get underway after two to three months once the standing rainwater recedes,” Khangharani said while talking to The Express Tribune on sidelines of the conference. “Reconstruction activities may last two to three years.”

Reconstruction work will directly and indirectly activate construction and 25 allied industries, and provide job opportunities to a large number of labourers as well as daily-wage earners.

The cost of constructing a low-budget housing unit has spiked to a minimum of Rs500,000 and maximum of Rs750,000 in the wake of soaring inflation. Earlier, the low-budget housing unit cost a mere Rs60,000 post-2010 floods, he recalled.

The government should make sure the reconstructed houses have basic amenities including drinking water purification units and solar panels to make lives and livelihoods comfortable, he emphasised.

“The reconstruction of 2 million low-cost housing units may cost a total of Rs1 trillion if it takes Rs500,000 per unit,” he said.

Besides, the reconstruction of infrastructure including water hand pumps, tube wells and communication network may further support economic activities.

Global and domestic research houses have revised down Pakistan’s economic growth forecast to around 2.5% for the current fiscal year following the devastation caused by the floods. The government had originally targeted 5% economic expansion for the year.

NBP President and CEO Rehmat Ali Hasnie, while talking to media, announced a contribution of Rs50 million on behalf of the bank to the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund.

The bank has also collaborated with TMF and the Rural Community Development Programme for the provision of water purifiers to the flood-stricken families to give them access to clean drinking water.

Speaking at a separate event, Bank Alfalah President and CEO Atif Bajwa pledged to provide assistance worth Rs2.18 billion ($10 million) to the flood-effected people during the relief and rehabilitation phase.

“We have planned to spend a big portion of the planned contribution during the rehabilitation phase including the reconstruction of houses,” he said.

Express Tribune
 
Mass migration of flood affectees towards Sehwan, Jamshoro begins
Thousands sitting on the roadside waiting for assistance, others using private transport to leave their areas

Mass migration of flood affectees started in villages around Sehwan and Bhan Saeedabad towns, including Karampur, Bamba and Talti on Thursday.

The majority of these people are moving towards Sehwan and Jamshoro, using private transport such as rickshaws, tractors and even motorcycles. Families, with whatever belongings and livestock they could save from the flood waters, are shifting to safer areas after spending days in inundated regions.

In some areas, with the help of the government, the villagers are trying to strengthen the dykes in an effort to stop the flow of water coming from Manchhar Lake.

The Sindh government had taken the plunge of breaching the Manchhar lake’s bank at various points in a desperate attempt to protect Sehwan and Bhan Saeedabad from flooding, displacing some 125,000 people in five union councils while trying to save over 300,000 others.

Authorities in the Jamshoro district had alerted people to move out as gushing water from the burst embankments of the country's largest freshwater lake headed fast towards Bhan Saeedabad Taluka after inundating several union councils near Sehwan on Wednesday.

Sources told The Express Tribune that the district administration had asked the citizens to evacuate the areas.

Thousands were stuck and seen sitting on road sides today, waiting for assistance as panic was starting to take hold amongst the populace.

Police have been deployed at various points to control the law-and-order situation. A large number of police officers from Karachi have also reached Dadu and Jamshoro districts after earlier protests by people in several cities and towns of Sindh. The protestors blamed the government for failing to come to their aid.

Express Tribune
 
UN chief in Pakistan to seek generous support for flood relief

ISLAMABAD: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will seek the world’s generous support for the country devastated by catastrophic floods and highlight the urgency to deal with the climate change crisis, during his two-day visit to Pakistan.

Mr Guterres arrived in Islamabad shortly after midnight. The secretary general had announced his plan for a solidarity trip to Pakistan soon after the launch of the $160 million UN Flash Appeal for helping the people most affected by the floods caused by what he had called “monsoon on steroids”. He will be back in New York on Sept 11 where the 77th session of the UN General Assembly is starting on Sept 13.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar, at the weekly media briefing on Thursday, said the secretary general will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, visit the National Flood Response and Coordination Centre (NFRCC), have a joint presser with the prime minister, and hold talks with the foreign minister followed by a joint press stakeout at the Foreign Office, besides other engagements, all related to the floods response.

Mr Guterres will also visit areas most affected by flooding, including Balochistan and Sindh, where he will meet first responders and interact with people displaced by the floods.

The Pakistani government, Mr Iftikhar said, wanted to utilise the secretary general’s visit to promote global awareness about the massive challenge of reconstruction and rehabilitation facing the country.

“In this context, the secretary general will also raise awareness about the linkages of such mega disasters with the frightening impact of climate change,” he further said.

Islamabad has been urging the rich countries to help Pakistan and other poor countries suffering from climate change because of their massive greenhouse gas emissions that caused global warming. The rich countries have generally been reluctant to pay for the climate loss.

Pakistani leaders would in their meetings draw the secretary general’s attention to the huge resources needed for the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase. Sharing an overview of the international relief goods consignments reaching here, the spokesperson said “a large number of our friends and partners have stepped forward with assistance to buttress the government-led relief efforts”.

DAWN
 
Flood losses estimated up to $20 billion
The Finance Ministry’s preliminary report says confirmed deaths due to the floods are more than 1,325 deaths

ISLAMABAD:
The latest information suggests that economic losses and damages caused by the flash floods could range between $15 billion to $20 billion, as the government fears up to 12 million more people will slip into poverty, underscoring the need for immediate and major global financial assistance.

According to ‘An Early Assessment of Flood Impact on Pakistan’s economy’ report being compiled by the Ministry of Finance, the economic losses are far higher than the initial estimates of $10 billion to $12 billion.

The economic losses have been estimated in the range of $15 billion to $20 billion, according to the preliminary report, indicating huge damages that the country sustained due to flash floods inundating large populations.

There are direct $12 billion losses to the economy, the $6 billion damages to the housing infrastructure and $4 billion was the cost of livestock losses.

Most of the estimates of the economic losses are based on data compiled up to up to September 5, provided by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) but the number is still subject to revision.

“We have updated our earlier estimates of the economic losses to $15 billion to $20 billion in light of new information,” said Dr Aisha Pasha, the Minister of State for Finance who spearheaded the exercise.

The report also showed that the floods could further widen the trade deficit by $4 billion and the additional impact on the current account deficit is also estimated in the range of $4 billion to $5 billion.

Pakistan cannot cope with humongous losses of around $15 billion to $20 billion, which is inclusive of both the direct losses to the economy and loss of the assets, and will require huge global support. Pakistan is victim of the global warming, although its contribution is less than 1%.

'The Early Assessment of Flood Impact on Pakistan’s Economy report is aimed at documenting the losses of economic productivity and damage to public and private infrastructure being assessed by different organisations of the government.

The report says that the government will come up with more firmed-up assessment of damage after a thorough exercise of the damage assessment.

The report further states that 9 million to 12 million more people will fall below the poverty line and one million to two million people have lost their jobs. It added that 77.7% of the informal labour in rural areas constitutes of women, with six out of ten employed young women concentrated in agriculture sector.

Most of the work in agriculture out of need and without a choice, with only 19% in paid employment in agriculture and overall 2.5 times more unpaid work and care than men.

Most of these women have also been care-takers for their livestock and therefore suffering precarious outcomes while trying to save their livestock during the floods, or surviving with the same in challenging living arrangements, according to the assessment.

As against earlier estimates of still achieving over 2% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, the revised estimates give that the growth rate may slip to below 2%. The GDP growth for fiscal year 2022-23 is expected to remain at 1.8% to 2.3%, according to the report.

The preliminary report showed that the overall loss in the growth of GDP will be 2.8% to 3.3% due to floods.

The initial reports show that as many as 604,212 small businesses have been impacted that are connected to livelihood of 6.55 million people who are without jobs and earning opportunities now. Out of these, the estimates suggest that 282,167 SMEs are in Sindh.

The government has estimated that the trade deficit could further widen by $3 billion to $4 billion due to reduced exports especially cotton and cotton value added. The exports of fruits & vegetables, tobacco, oil-seeds & nuts, meat, tents & canvas, leather & leather footwear, and cement are expected to reduce significantly.

On the other hand, imports of raw cotton, wheat, pulses, sugar, construction machinery, and medicines may increase.

The gross impact on the current account deficit could range from $4 billion to $5 billion but about $1.5 billion impact is expected to be offset due to additional inflows from workers remittances and aid and grants-related inflows.

The government has assessed that it may have to repurpose about 20% of the PSDP or Rs218 billion towards disaster relief expenditure resulting in and additional unemployment of 600,000 due to low spending.

The cotton, rice, maize, and sugarcane are largely affected by the flood and their growth is expected to remain negative by 14% to 15.4%. The growth in other crops is also expected to remain negative by up to 15%.

The growth in livestock is expected to remain 2% to 3%. The loss in growth of the agriculture sector will be 3.5% to 4.5% and its growth may remain negative by up to 2.1% for the current year.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) early estimates suggest that over 4.5 million acres of crop land have been affected by the recent floods increasing the risk of food insecurity. Only in Sindh 3.5 million acres crops are affected by the floods, causing 78% of the total losses. In Punjab, crops standing at 639,000 acres of land were affected.

The loss in growth of the industrial sector will be 3.5% to 4%. Its growth for the current fiscal year is expected to be 1.9% to 2.5%. The loss in growth of the services sector will be 1.8% to 2.3%. Its growth for FY 2023 is expected to remain at 3.5%.

The Finance Ministry’s preliminary report said that the confirmed deaths due to the floods are more than 1,325 deaths, over 13,000 injured and over 1.7 million houses damaged or destroyed.

The damages to housing infrastructure are estimated at $6 billion. Out of 1.7 million damaged units, as many as 1.5 million are in Sindh, followed by 87,772 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 63,068 in Balochistan. In Punjab 59,000 housing units are estimated to be destroyed by the floods and 1678 in Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.

Another $4 billion losses are estimated on account of livestock. The assessment showed that 750,000 livestock have been lost, 5,735 kilometer roads and 246 bridges have been destroyed.

In the power sector, initial estimates show that at least Rs3.3 billion are required to get things operational again, while the true assessment of damage will only be clear once access is restored to all areas. Sindh and Balochistan has faced the most losses. In Sindh, 554 transformers, 486 High tension structure and 47 civil structures destroyed, costing Rs1.6 billion.

As per the NDMA report of 5th, September 2022, the roads infrastructure is blocked due to the floods in Balochistan.

The Railway network across Pakistan is disturbed by the floods, especially the railway track linking Quetta to Taftan in Balochistan and Quetta to Sibbi to Habib Kot from Balochistan to Sindh. The track connecting Punjab to Sindh from Hyderabad to Rohri to Multan is also blocked due to floodwater.

In Sindh, the road from Kotri to Lakhi Shah to Dadu is also disrupted.
The flooding has damaged numerous health facilities across impacted areas, including 501 health facilities in Sindh (including 88 completely), and 244 health facilities in Balochistan.

Express Tribune
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The floods in Pakistan are a terrible tragedy. <br><br>My heartfelt sympathies to all the people affected and deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones.</p>— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1568109425302601728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
The west and other govts must be quietly satisfied at this devastation. A strong prosperous Pakistan is way too much of a headache. Better to have them dirt poor and dying.
 
Pakistan needs ‘massive’ financial support for relief and recovery: UN chief

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that Pakistan needed “massive” financial support for relief, recovery, and rehabilitation in the wake of the catastrophic floods that displaced more than 33 million people and are estimated to have caused $30 billion of damage.

He made the remarks after attending a briefing at the National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NFRCC) alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The UN chief is currently in Pakistan on a two-day trip to seek the world’s support for the catastrophic floods which have devastated the country and to highlight the urgency to deal with the climate change crisis.

Guterres began by saying that there was “no memory of anything similar to what has happened with the impact of climate change in Pakistan”.

“The numbers are appalling. But beyond the numbers, I see the families that have lost their loved ones, houses, crops, jobs and are living in desperate conditions,” he expressed.

The secretary-general pointed out that Pakistan had not contributed to climate change in a meaningful way. “But Pakistan is one of the most dramatically impacted countries.”

He highlighted that the emissions by the country were relatively low, yet Pakistan was on the frontline of climate change.

Guterres called on the international community to help the flood victims, saying: “Pakistan needs massive financial support to respond to this crisis as according to initial estimates the losses are around $30 billion.”

He stressed the need for debt support. It is not a matter of solidarity, but a matter of justice, he said.

“It is absolutely essential that this is recognised by the international community, especially by those countries that have contributed more to climate change.

“And effective solidarity and justice is shown by mobilising massive support,” the UN chief said.

And at the same time, the UN chief warned that the world was heading towards a disaster. “We have waged war on nature and nature is striking back in a devastating way. Today, it is Pakistan. Tomorrow, it can be your country. We need to stop increase in emissions and start reducing them now.”

The secretary-general added that this matter would be discussed at the next Conference of States Parties.

‘Pakistan’s contribution to climate change minimal but country among most affected’
Earlier, the UN chief was briefed about the damage caused by floods in the country by the NFRCC Major General Zafar Iqbal.

After taking an overview of the situation, Guterres appreciated all those working tirelessly to support the victims of this “unprecedented natural disaster”.

“Humanity has declared war on nature and nature is tracking back. But nature is blind. It is not striking back on those who have contributed more to the war on nature,” he said.

Pakistan has contributed very little to climate change but is one of the countries most affected by its consequences, he highlighted.

“It is like nature has attacked the wrong targets. It should be those that are more responsible for climate change that should have to face these kinds of challenges.”

It is the international community’s obligation to drastically reduce emissions and support countries that need to invest in resilience and recovery, he said.

“My voice is entirely at the service of Pakistan and its people. We know our contribution is limited […] but we are totally committed.”

He went on to say: “I have always seen an enormous sense of solidarity in Pakistan. My admiration for this country and its people is limitless […] I will do my best to raise awareness in the international community.”

Speaking at the briefing, the premier thanked the UN chief for undertaking the visit, saying that his empathy and support was “great encouragement”.

“The government of Pakistan, along with the provincial governments and all stakeholders […] are working together to provide relief and rescue to millions,” he said.

PM Shehbaz said that efforts were underway and flood affectees were being moved to safer areas while also being provided food and shelter. “The challenge is absolutely beyond human capacities, yet humans have to handle it and we are.”

He once again thanked the UN secretary general for visiting Pakistan, stating that authorities would provide him with first-hand information about what was happening in the country.

“Pakistan is doing its best with its meagre resources. We thank the international community for contributing […] but unless we get sufficient support in terms of relief, in terms of repairing the damage, we will be in trouble.”

Guterres, Shehbaz discuss flood situation
Earlier in the day, the prime minister had welcomed the UN secretary general as he arrived at the PM House along with his delegation.

The premier and the UN chief held a meeting to discuss the situation arising out of the catastrophic floods in the country.

The two sides focused on joint efforts to carry out relief, rescue and rehabilitation at international level to mitigate the sufferings of the flood-affected people.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and senior officials were also present in the meeting.

UN chief arrives in Islamabad
Guterres arrived in the capital during the early hours of Friday. The secretary-general had announced his plan for a solidarity trip to Pakistan soon after the launch of the $160 million UN Flash Appeal for helping the people most affected by the floods caused by what he had called “monsoon on steroids”.

He will be back in New York on Sept 11 where the 77th session of the UN General Assembly is starting on Sept 13.

Islamabad has been urging rich countries to help Pakistan and other poor countries suffering from climate change because of their massive greenhouse gas emissions that caused global warming. The rich countries have generally been reluctant to pay for the climate loss.

In a statement on Friday, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said Guterres’ visit will also prove to be helpful in sensitising the world about the deadly consequences of climate change.

The information minister said the international community will have to come forward to help poor countries affected by natural disasters, including floods, a report by Radio Pakistan said.

She also appreciated the UN secretary general for launching the flash flood appeal to help the country’s people.

DAWN
 
In a video posted on Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) Twitter, Naseem announced that he will be putting the bat up for the auction and will be using half of the amount to help the victims of Pakistan floods.
 
‘A very unfair situation’: UN chief says world has to aid country that hasn’t contributed to global emissions

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday said that the situation in the world was “very unfair” as he called on the world to play their part to help countries that haven’t contributed to global emissions.

He passed these remarks after visiting several areas of Pakistan ravaged by floods, as he rounded off a two-day trip aimed at raising awareness of the disaster.

Key developments today

  • UN chief visits flood-affected areas of Sindh and Balochistan, calls on world to provide “massive” financial support to Pakistan
  • Irrigation department makes another cut into the Larkana-Sehwan bund
  • Residents evacuate Bhan Saeedabad, Sehwan and Dadu as flood water gush towards cities
  • Pir Shahnawaz union council of Dadu submerged
  • Five more die across the country in last 24 hours
  • Rain with thundershowers forecast in KP, Islamabad and GB
  • A video released by the PM Office showed Guterres seated next to Sharif viewing flood-damaged areas from an aircraft window. “Unimaginable,” Guterres said, surveying the damage.

The secretary-general’s call to action came as Pakistan logged another five fatalities — three of whom were children — in the previous 24-hour period, according to NDMA’s daily situation update. Cumulatively, there are 1,396 fatalities since mid-June, 499 of whom are children.

In an address today, he said that humanity had been waging war on nature and the nature was now striking back. “And nature strikes back in Sindh, but Sindh has not made the emission of greenhouse gases that have exacerbated climate change.”

So, he went on, there was a “very unfair situation in relation to the level of destruction we are seeing in Sindh”.

“And it is essential for the international community to understand that Pakistan including Sindh needs today massive financial support to overcome these crisis,” the secretary general emphasised, saying that this was not the matter of generosity, but of justice.

He continued that the world needed to stop “this madness with which we are treating nature”.

“According to the scientific community, we need to reduce emissions by 45 per cent now.”

The UN chief called on the world to provide massive support to work on adaptation — to build resilient infrastructure, to support resilient communities and to create conditions for those who were in the hotspots of climate change, including Pakistan.

“And this needs a huge investment. That’s why we are asking for a strong increase in financing of resilience infrastructure and adaption,” he said.

Furthermore, Guterres expressed total solidarity with the Pakistani people. “We will do everything we can to raise awareness and request those who have the capacity to support Pakistan […] to request that they do it, they do it now, they do it massively and they do it looking into the preparation to face future challenges.”

“Our commitment, strong and emotional solidarity is something you can count on,” he added.

Later, the UN chief visited Larkana and met the flood-affectees. He assured them that UN had appealed to the world for aid in the wake of the catastrophic floods, stressing that it was essential for the world to take responsibility of its actions.

Guterres was also briefed about the situation in Sindh and Balochistan by provincial authorities.

Another cut made to Larkana-Sehwan bund
Meanwhile, the irrigation department made another cut into the Larakana-Sehwan (LS) bund near Karampur Saturday morning in a bid to prevent floodwater — gushing from Manchhar Lake and Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD) breaches — from entering Dadu, Bhan Saeedabad, Sehwan and other neighbouring areas.

Vijay Kumar, assistant engineer at the irrigation department, told Dawn.com that a 200-feet wide cut had been made at RD-98 in the Sehwan’s Karampur city to divert the water into River Indus.

Yesterday, two cuts were made in the LS bund at RD-99 and RD-100 after breaches in Manchhar Lake’s protective dyke threatened to enter cities.

Kumar said that authorities were planning on making more cuts into the bund as it was the only option available to accelerate the release of water into River Indus.

Separately, residents of Dadu told Dawn.com that the Pir Shahnawaz union council had been submerged due to floods, adding that several residents were vacating the area to move to safer locations.

Death toll nears 1,400
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the total death toll from floods since June has now reached 1,396, while injuries have crossed the 12,000 mark.

In its daily update, the National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NFRCC) said that during a total of 6,579km of roads, 246 bridges and 173 shops were damaged.

It stated that the highest number of human and infrastructural damage was reported in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where rescue and relief operations are underway by the Pakistan Army and district administrations.

The NFRCC has also predicted rain with thundershowers in Kashmir, upper KP, Islamabad, Potohar region and Gilgit Baltistan. In remaining parts of the country, hot and humid weather has been forecast.

DAWN
 
Flood response goes digital to ensure transparency

ISLAMABAD: In a bid to ensure transparency in the allocation of relief funds for the flood survivors, the federal government has decided to establish a ‘Digital Flood Dashboard’, which will keep the public abreast of relief measures taken by the authorities concerned.

The dashboard prepared with the help of latest technology will be launched by Planning Minister and National Flood Response and Coordination Centre chief Ahsan Iqbal on Monday (today) following the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

It will provide direct information to the general public about the financial support and the relief goods being received and distributed among the flood-affected people across the country.

The prime minister would personally supervise the digital dashboard.

PM Shehbaz expresses gratitude to Erdogan, UAE’s minister

The premier had earlier annou*nced that the audit of financial aid received for flood victims would be conducted by the auditor general of Pakistan and a reputed audit firm.

PM Sharif reviewed measures aim*ed at restoring life activities in the flood-affected areas and directed exp*editing the rehabilitation of roa*ds, bridges, power supply, and other relief measures. He also dir*ected that provision of basic necessities of life, including food items, should be ensured in the affected areas.

While stressing collective mechanisms and cooperation with provincial governments, he underlined the need for an early restoration of roads and the formulation of a comprehensive strategy to resolve other issues faced by the provinces.

PM talks to Erdogan

Prime Minister Sharif thanked United Arab Emirates Minister for Culture, Youth and Community Development Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan for his generous donation of $10 million to help the flood victims.

Similarly, he also expressed his gratitude to President Erdogan and the people of Turkiye for extending humanitarian relief assistance to Pakistan in the form of immediate dispatch of tents, emergency food items, and medicines via 12 Turkish military aircraft, four trains, and two Red Crescent trucks.

In a telephonic conversation with Turkish President Erdogan, Mr Sharif said “as per initial estimates, the floods are likely to reduce Pakistan’s GDP by over two per cent.

He said Pakistan was grappling with the immediate challenge of aver*ting imminent food insecurity in the country.

DAWN
 
Rs23b cash relief disbursed among flood victims
BISP says so far 81% of the identified beneficiaries have received the aid


ISLAMABAD:
Eighty-one per cent of the identified beneficiaries have received the flood relief cash assistance, amounting to Rs23.1 billion under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), an official statement issued on Sunday said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced a cash assistance of Rs25,000 to each flood-affected family through the BISP. In the last cabinet meeting, the government increased the cash relief budget to Rs70 billion.

The BISP has distributed Rs23,101,575,000 among 924,063 families from the flood-affected areas. “So far, 81.37% of the total identified beneficiaries have been served through 377 special campsites established across the flood-affected regions,” the statement said.

“Till Sunday evening, 112,485 families have received Rs2.812 billion in Balochistan; 550,235 families got Rs13.755 billion in Sindh; 114,077 families were paid Rs2.852 billion in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and 147,266 families received Rs.3.681 billion in Punjab,” it added.

The BISP said that its senior management was monitoring the disbursement process, adding that BISP staff at the payment campsites had been fully mobilised to ensure a speedy disbursement of the cash relief.

Affected families can send their computerised national identity card (CNIC) number to 8171 for registration in the Flood Relief Cash Assistance programme, adding that upon receiving the payment messages they can visit their nearby campsite to receive their payment.

Express Tribune
 
Islamabad: Pakistan Cricket Team on Tuesday participated in a ‘Fund Raising Telethon’ for flood victims aimed for their rehabilitation and re-building of affected areas.

Pakistan team members including Batting coach Mohammad Yousuf, Head coach Saqlain Mushtaq and star cricketer Muhammad Rizwan urged the people to come forward and to help out the people suffering from acute hunger, reported by a private news channel.

“Overseas Pakistanis should also come forward and donate their charities for the development and betterment of flood affectees,” said Saqlain Mushtaq.

Pakistani team has already collected sufficient amount to help the flood affectees, while also planning a visit to affected areas.

https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/...to-collect-funds-for-flood-victims-1.90570114
 
Facebook-parent Meta Platforms Inc announced on Wednesday that it was donating Rs125 million for flood relief efforts in Pakistan.

The amount, which will be given to Unicef, HANDS and Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), will “support emergency aid, food, water, sanitation and help children get back to school” in Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the company said in a press release.

Meta’s Director for Emerging Markets for the Asia Pacific region Jordi Fornies said, “Pakistan is going through one of the worst natural disasters we have seen to date. Millions of people are affected and the entire nation is rallying to support them during this difficult time.

“We hope that our contributions help the communities impacted by the catastrophe and our thoughts are with these communities and families as they try to recover.”
 
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the government of Canada will match donations to the "Humanitarian Coalition" in response to the flooding in Pakistan, and every donation made by individuals until September 28, 2022, will be matched up to a maximum of $3 million.

According to a press release issued by the Canadian High Commission in Islamabad on Wednesday, PM Trudeau also announced that Canada will allocate an additional $25 million of funding in response to the impact of flooding in Pakistan, and to support development projects in the country, in addition to the $5 million the Liberals announced last month.
 
The Yorkshire County Cricket Club has partnered with Islamic Relief to aid the flood relief efforts in Pakistan and the surrounding countries. The Club has launched a series of fundraising efforts, with a Just Giving page launched immediately and a fundraising dinner set for October.

Communities have been left devastated as severe flooding has struck large areas of Pakistan, Sudan and most recently Afghanistan, tragically taking over 1,200 lives and leaving millions of people vulnerable.

Homes and buildings have been destroyed, and many have lost their livestock and livelihoods as cropland has been submerged. Millions are homeless, hungry, and in desperate need of help.

Working in partnership with Islamic Relief, the dinner that will be hosted at Headingley on Monday 10 October, will bring a range of local businesses and individuals together in an effort to raise money for the relief efforts. There will be an auction on the night with a range of highly sought-after items up for grabs.

Yaseen Mohammed, Non-Executive Director of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club, said: “It’s devastating to see the impact the floods are having on Pakistan and the surrounding countries and, like many organisations in our community, we felt like we needed to do something to show our support.

“To partner with an organisation like Islamic Relief and support them in the incredible work that they are doing on the ground in the affected countries is so important, and we hope that our fundraising efforts can make a significant difference.

“We hope that many of our friends from within our communities will get together with us to show their support for this cause.

“Going forward we plan to work closely with Islamic Relief to support their efforts in the longer term.”

Islamic Relief's UK Director Tufail Hussain, said: “We are extremely grateful to Yorkshire County Cricket Club and their efforts to help fundraise for people affected by devastating floods in Pakistan. This will make a huge difference to those who have been hit hard by this disaster.

“This crisis in Pakistan is unprecedented and the worst floods that the county has ever experienced. Money raised from this event will go towards helping Islamic Relief provide food, shelter, bedding, and hygiene items and we thank the club for their support which will help bring relief to so many people.”

Earlier in the year Yorkshire CCC partnered with Pakistan Super League team Lahore Qalandars, who have been supporting the relief efforts.

Lahore Qalandars Chief Operating Officer Sameen Rana said: “The effects the floods have had on Pakistan and our neighbouring countries has been devastating and the Lahore Qalandars are working hard to support communities as much as is possible.

“We are delighted that our partners Yorkshire CCC are joining the relief efforts. Their support will help a lot of people in Pakistan and our surrounding areas.

“The work that Islamic Relief is doing on the ground is making a big difference and we are pleased that Yorkshire have opted to partner with them and support this work. The Lahore Qalandars will be developing plans alongside Yorkshire and Islamic Relief to continue the fundraising efforts over the next 12 months.”
 
16m children hit by ‘super floods’ in Pakistan, says Unicef

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) representative in Pakistan has said that an estimated 16 million children have been impacted by ‘super floods’ and at least 3.4 million girls and boys remain in need of immediate, lifesaving support.

In a statement issued here on Friday, Abdullah Fadil, who recently concluded a two-day visit to the flood-affected areas of Sindh, said the situation was extremely grim in flood-hit areas with malnourished children battling diarrohea, dengue fever and several painful skin diseases.

Mr Fadil said floods had now claimed the lives of at least 528 children and each and every one of these deaths was a tragedy which could have been averted.

As the magnitude of flood disaster continues to unfold, international aid continues to trickle in. The Japanese government on Friday announced US$7 million while the Canadian government pledged $3m Canadian dollars for the flood-hit people.

Japan announces $7m, Ottawa pledges $3m Canadian dollars for flood-hit people

“The sad reality is that without a massive increase in support and aid, many more children will lose their lives,” the Unicef representative said.

“A lot of the mothers are anemic and malnourished themselves and have very low-weight babies. Mothers are exhausted or ill and they are unable to breastfeed. Millions of families have been forced from their homes, now living with little more than rags to protect themselves from the scorching sun as temperatures in some areas pass 40 degrees Celsius.

“Many families have been forced to seek shelter on slivers of higher ground, often alongside roads putting children at risk, as lower land is covered by huge expanses of stagnant water, extending as far as the eye can see. The additional threats of snakes, scorpions and mosquitoes are ever-present in the area,” Mr Fadil said.

“Whilst the number of children lost in these floods continues to grow, Unicef is doing everything it can to support children and families affected and protect them from the ongoing dangers of water-borne diseases, malnutrition and other risks,” he added.

Japanese, Canadian aid

The Japanese government decided on Friday to extend emergency grant aid of $7 million to Pakistan in response to damages caused by flood disaster.

Of the $7m, World Food Programme will get $2.5m for food; IOM $1.5m for shelter and non-food items; Unicef $1m for water, sanitation and hygiene; UNHCR $1m for protection, non-food items; and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies $1m for health and medical care, the statement said.

The Canadian government has announced to match individual donations up to a total of 3m Canadian dollars through the Humanitarian Coalition of 12 charitable organisations collecting funds and donations in Canada in response to flooding in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, over 90,000 people were treated for infectious and water-borne diseases in a day in flood-hit areas of Sindh, government data showed on Friday, as the total death toll from the inundations surpassed 1,500.

Flooded areas have become infested with diseases, including malaria, dengue fever, diarrhoea and skin problems, according to the report issued by the Sindh government.

Dawn
 
Somerset County Cricket Club have raised more than £5,000 for the Pakistan Flood Appeal through an online auction.

The money will be collected over the next seven days and sent to the Citizens Foundation (UK), who are directly helping those affected by the floods.

It has been raised by bids for various items of cricketing memorabilia, donated by Somerset players past and present from their own personal collections, along with other gifts from members and other sports.

The appeal was launched at Somerset’s LV= Insurance County Championship home game against Gloucestershire earlier this month and bidding closed on Sunday evening.

One item alone, a shirt signed by the entire England team from the third Test Match against South Africa and organised by Marcus Trescothick, raised more than £500.

Ben Warren, head of digital at Somerset, said: “As the club has forged such strong links with Pakistan cricket, particularly in recent years, with the signing of several top players, we wanted to do something to help the Flood Appeal.

“The response has been overwhelming. I emailed each of our players to see if they had items they could donate and they were eager to get involved.

“Members also responded when the auction was announced, as did people from outside the club. The number of items grew well beyond what we had hoped for.

“It was a way of demonstrating the club’s commitment to the wider community. Bids came in from all over the world and we are delighted with the amount of money raised.”

Signed England shirts were donated by Somerset players Jack Leach and Craig Overton, along with ones worn in county matches by Tom Abell, Imam-ul-Haq, Will Smeed and Max Waller.

Somerset member Stuart Tudball gifted a large framed print from an England versus Australia match at Lord’s in 1866, which fetched more than £200.

National Hunt racing trainer Alex Dunn donated a morning visit to her gallops, while other auction items included a scorecard signed by Chris Gayle from the T20 match against Kent at Taunton in 2015, in which he hit 151 not out, and a canvas print signed by Lord Ian Botham.

Warren added: “With two Pakistan players, Imam and Sajid Khan, currently in our team, the unbelievable response to the auction is even more heart-warming.”

Imam, who joined Somerset recently for the last four Championship games, expressed his personal gratitude over the club’s initiative.

He said: “It shows how cricket can come together as a family to address wider issues such as the disaster which has hit my country. I feel proud to be associated with a club like Somerset.”
 
PPP leader booked after relief goods recovered from his warehouse in Sindh​

More than 500 tents and ration bags recovered during raid in Nasirabad


Hafeez Tunio
September 15, 2022

KARACHI: Amid protests by flood victims in Sindh for not being provided relief aid, more than 500 tents were recovered during a raid at a rice mill warehouse in the town of Nasirabad along with some ration bags which were supposed to be distributed among the affectees.

District and sessions judge Kamber Shahdadkot Zahid Hussain Mitlo, who was escorted by police and some officials in plain clothes, ordered the SSP to register a case against PPP local councillor, rice mill owners and concerned SHO for their involvement.

"People are bearing the brunt of rains and sitting under the open sky and you have stored the tents here," said the judge to the owner of the rice mill in a video that went viral on social media.

There were reports that police have registered the case and taken a few people into custody.

According to locals, the tents were brought to the rice mill by newly-elected councillor Wazir Ali Phulpoto. "The tents are stored on the directives of the local MPA who had handed over the tents. The revenue officials including Mukhtiarkar and police are in hand and glove in such things," said Rajab Solangi, a local activist, who along with dozens of flood victims was protesting in front of DC House for tents.

Soon after the raid, the issue became viral on social media where political parties and civil society activists condemned it, demanding action against relevant officials and the local PPP leaders.

A few days ago, the same judge had also conducted a raid at the Mukhtiarkar office in Shahdakot town and found 200 tents inside it. "After the raid, the judge directed DC to distribute the tents among flood victims without delay, but don't know how the tents were distributed and who did it," local journalist Fida Bhatti said.

It may be mentioned here that hundreds of thousands of people have been living on the roadsides and other open spaces after the flood ravaged their villages and crop.

They have been protesting and demanding basic facilities including tents, food, drinking water and basic health facilities.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/237683...f-goods-recovered-from-his-warehouse-in-sindh
 
PAK NAVY DISTRIBUTED 1568 TN FOOD, 5198 TENTS AMONG FLOOD-AFFECTEES: NFRCC

Pakistan Navy’s four flood relief centres and 18 central collection points have collected and distributed over 1568 tonnes of food, 5198 tents, and 6,97,306 litres of mineral water among flood-affected people, ARY News reported.

According to the National Flood Relief Coordination Centre (NFRCC) at least 17,843 people have taken refuge in 11 Navy tent centres. At least 15,300 people have been rescued by 23 emergency response teams of the Pakistan Navy, the NFRCC told.

The Emergency Response teams of the Pakistan Navy have 46 motorized boats, and 2 hover crafts, while one helicopter is assigned to rescue people in Sindh.

The NFRCC told that a total of 425 people have been rescued via 62 flights of the Nacy helicopter while 4811 ration bags were also distributed using it.

Pakistan Navy also established 70 medical camps which have treated over 63,277 patients so far, the NFRCC told.

On September 15, at least 34 were rescued, and 16.4 tonnes of food were supplied to flood-affected people, NFRCC reported.

According to the NRFCC report southern and eastern parts of Sindh, Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and North Eastern Punjab received heavy rainfall while the rest of the country faced hotter temperatures in the last 24 hours with Turbat experiencing the highest temperature with 42-degree celsius, 41 degrees in Sibbi and 41 degrees in Nokundi.

Also Read: Pakistan Army rescues flood victims after boat capsizes

The weather would remain hot and dry in most plains of the country for the next 24 hours while Upper Punjab, Upper KP, Gilgit Baltistan, and Kashmir could experience some rainfall.

ARY
 
Pakistan floods put pressure on faltering economy

The calls are growing louder. Pakistan desperately needs help after its worst floods in years, and it needs it fast.

"This climate calamity couldn't have come at a worse time, when Pakistan's economy was already struggling with a balance of payments crisis, rising debt, and soaring inflation," Maleeha Lodhi, former Pakistan ambassador to the UN and the UK, told the BBC.

If the country doesn't get debt relief, she added, the economy risks "tanking".

Catastrophic rain linked to climate change has submerged large parts of the country, killing nearly 1,500 people and affecting roughly 33 million people.

Homes, roads, railways, crops, livestock and livelihoods have been washed away in the extreme weather event.

With agriculture making up nearly a quarter of Pakistan's economy, officials now say the unprecedented floods may have cost up to $40bn (£35bn).

Across the country, an estimated 800,000 cattle - a key source of income for rural families - have been lost in the floods.

Farmers who have not had their crops and livestock washed away are now reportedly running low on feed for their cattle.

There will likely be more pain ahead with a food crisis looming.

Roughly 70% of the onion harvest, along with rice and corn, has been destroyed, according to Pakistan's climate change minister, Sherry Rehman.

Pakistan is the world's fourth largest rice exporter, with markets in Africa and China.

Almost all of Pakistan's households are consumers of wheat, but with so much agricultural land damaged, the wheat harvest could be at risk too.

Food prices are already under pressure because of the post-pandemic supply chain disruption and the war in Ukraine, which is a major global supplier of key crops.

Pakistan's inflation rate was more than 24% before the floods, according to reports, and some costs have climbed by 500%.

Authorities may need to import food to feed people and raw materials for industry, but the country's foreign reserves were running low even before the crisis..

Pakistan is also a producer of cotton, which is used in the country's textile industry - a major employer. Manufacturers are bracing for a shortage of that too.

On Sunday, Pakistan's finance minister Miftah Ismail said the country would "absolutely not" default on its debt payments despite the floods.

Mr Ismail also said that external financing sources had been secured, including more than $4bn (£3.5bn) from the Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and World Bank.

About $5bn of investments from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia would be made in the current financial year, he added.

At the same time, Pakistan's central bank announced that Saudi Arabia's development authority had extended a deposit of $3bn, which had been due for repayment in December, by one year.

Also on Sunday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it would work with countries around the world international community to support Pakistan's relief and reconstruction efforts.

Last month, an IMF bailout package was approved but conditions were attached, like raising taxes and applying austerity measures.

Andrew Wood, an analyst at S&P Global Ratings, flagged "high inflation, a weaker currency, and tighter fiscal and monetary conditions" as affecting growth in a recent briefing. He added that the agency estimated the government's debt position was around 74% of GDP.

"Financial support from the IMF and other multilateral and bilateral partners is critical, in our view... Structural reforms that support Pakistan's business environment and macroeconomic stability would be important pillars of an enduring economic recovery," Mr Wood said.

The floods were caused by record rainfall during the monsoon season and melting glaciers in the mountains.

The South Asian nation received nearly 190% more rain than the 30-year average, in July and August. The southern province of Sindh received 466% more rain than average.

When UN Secretary General António Guterres visited Pakistan last week, he blamed climate change for the disaster and said the country needed massive financial support.

"I have seen many, many humanitarian disasters in the world. But I have never seen climate carnage on this scale. I have simply no words to describe what I have seen today, a flooded area that is three times the total area of my own country, Portugal," Mr Guterres said.

Aid agencies are now assessing the scale of the reconstruction effort, and with entire villages underwater, a public health crisis is inevitable.

Weather officials say more rain is expected in the coming days, putting thousands of displaced people at further risk.

BBC
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is not Arabian see....Unbelievable footage of Khairpur Nathan Shah (Sindh) — the area is still under flood water! <a href="https://t.co/fD4t48bGBa">pic.twitter.com/fD4t48bGBa</a></p>— Nasir Baig Chughtai (@i_m_nbc) <a href="https://twitter.com/i_m_nbc/status/1571745352591474688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Gastro, malaria claim 12 more lives

DADU: Twelve more flood victims died of gastroenteritis and malaria within a day in different areas of Dadu and Kandhkot-Kashmore districts on Monday.

The two diseases have so far proved to be the major cause behind most of the deaths among internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in squalid conditions at relief camps and flooded localities.

Sources said that two flood victims identified as Akbar Solangi and Imtiaz Qambrani died of gastroenteritis and malaria at Sita village near Mehar town.

Three-year-old Misri Khoso died at a tent city for IDPs in Shafi Mohammad Colony and 10-year-old Rahim Chandio died at a camp near the bypass in Mehar town.

A local artist Shah Rukh Khan and a businessman Atta Mohammad Chandio died of gastroenteritis and malaria in Mehar and two women Amanat Jamali and Budhi Jamali died of malaria in Bukhar Jamali village near Wahi Pandhi town.

The sources said that the death toll from the two diseases in K.N. Shah and its adjoining area had reached eight over the past five days and in Mehar taluka the number of deaths had risen to 20 over the past 30 days.

Dadu DHO Dr Ahmed Ali Samejo said that six teams of the health department and PPHI were working in Mehar and 16 other parts of the district. The teams had treated a total of 135,000 patients over the last 19 days, he said.

The district administration officials said that a total of 80 people including 39 children died in the district during heavy rains and floods from diseases and inundation.

Dadu deputy commissioner said in his report submitted to the Sindh government that the people had died in an outbreak of diseases and collapse of houses. A total of 75,670 houses including 27,788 cemented structures collapsed and crops standing on 97,330 acres were washed away in the heavy rain and subsequent flood, said the report.

It said that floodwaters coming from Balochistan and the Indus River directly affected 849,380 people, including 172,799 families and 453,163 children.

In Kandhkot-Kashmore district, two-year-old Sardari Jafferi and three-year-old Niaz Jamal Jafferi died of gastroenteritis in Saleem Jafferi village while three-year-old Azizullah Bakhrani died of the same disease in Yacoub village on Monday.

The villagers complained that many children were suffering from gastro and malaria which had broken out in the wake of torrential rain but no medical team had so far visited their areas to treat the ailing children.

DAWN
 
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday made a fervent pitch for extending help to Pakistan where floods had caused huge devastation in his address to the UN General Assembly, as he announced over $2.9 billion in new assistance to address global food insecurity.

Biden was confronting no shortage of difficult issues as leaders gathered this year. the president addressed the 193-member assembly during its high-level debate, when he dealt with the adverse impacts of climate change.

“Pakistan is still under water, needs help,” the president told a packed gathering of world leaders in the iconic hall of the General Assembly, including the Pakistani Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif.

In his address, Biden announced over $2.9 billion in new assistance to address global food insecurity, building on the $6.9 billion in US government assistance to support global food security already committed this year.
 
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday commended the international response to the devastating floods which devastated large parts of Pakistan but maintained that it was far from meeting the country’s needs.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, the premier made an urgent appeal to international donors for debt relief and special programmes for the rehabilitation of flood victims, adding that Pakistan needed additional funds to tackle the devastation.
 
COAS visits Badin’s flooded areas
General Bajwa also had an interaction with the business community in Karachi

RAWALPINDI: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday visited the flood-affected areas of Badin district and spent time with the flood victims in relief and medical camps. The COAS also met the army troops performing rescue and relief activities in Malkani Sharif, Badin, and was later flown for aerial reconnaissance of the flood-ravaged areas of the district and surroundings.

General Bajwa also had an interaction with the business community in Karachi. He said the business community has always helped the people of the country during various natural calamities, including their support in the recent floods.

The business community members acknowledged the role and sacrifice of the Pakistan Army in providing a safe environment for the country’s economic prosperity, assuring the COAS of maximum support for the flood victims.

The News PK
 
AUCTION RAISES OVER £5000 FOR PAKISTAN FLOOD APPEAL
Somerset County Cricket Club have raised more than £5,000 for the Pakistan Flood Appeal through an online auction.

The money will be collected over the next seven days and sent to the Citizens Foundation (UK), who are directly helping those affected by the floods.

It has been raised by bids for various items of cricketing memorabilia, donated by Somerset players past and present from their own personal collections, along with other gifts from members and other sports.

The appeal was launched at Somerset’s LV= Insurance County Championship home game against Gloucestershire earlier this month and bidding closed on Sunday evening.

One item alone, a shirt signed by the entire England team from the third Test Match against South Africa and organised by Marcus Trescothick, raised more than £500.

Items were also successfully won from countries all over the world, including South Africa and the USA.

Ben Warren, Head of Digital at Somerset CCC said: “As the Club has forged such strong links with Pakistan cricket, particularly in recent years with the signing of several top players, we wanted to do something to help the Flood Appeal.

“The response has been overwhelming. I emailed each of our players to see if they had items they could donate and they were eager to get involved.

“Members also responded when the auction was announced, as did people from outside the Club. The number of items grew well beyond what we had hoped for.

“It was a way of demonstrating the Club’s commitment to the wider community. Bids came in from all over the world and we are delighted with the amount of money raised.”

Signed England shirts were donated by Somerset players Jack Leach and Craig Overton, along with ones worn in county matches by Tom Abell, Imam-ul-Haq, Will Smeed and Max Waller.

Somerset member Stuart Tudball gifted a large, framed print from an England versus Australia match at Lord’s in 1866, which fetched more than £200.

National Hunt racing trainer, Alex Dunn donated a morning visit to her gallops, while other auction items included a scorecard signed by Chris Gayle from the T20 match against Kent at Taunton in 2015, in which he hit 151 not out, and a canvas print signed by Lord Ian Botham.

Warren added: “With two Pakistan players, Imam-ul-Haq and Sajid Khan, currently in our team, the unbelievable response to the auction is even more heart-warming.”

Imam, who joined Somerset recently for the last four Championship games, expressed his personal gratitude over the Club’s initiative.

He said: “It shows how cricket can come together as a family to address wider issues such as the disaster which has hit my country. I feel proud to be associated with a club like Somerset.”

https://www.somersetcountycc.co.uk/...n-raises-over-5000-for-pakistan-flood-appeal/
 
Pakistan has robust and transparent mechanisms in place to ensure that all aid provided to the country was being delivered to those in need, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday as he assured donors that he would ensure a third-party audit of every penny received by the country through “well-reputed international companies”.

The prime minister, who left the US on Friday evening, was quoted by the Associated Press of Pakistan as saying that he had met top officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) and appealed for a moratorium on loan repayments and deferment of other conditions until the flood situation improves.

They sounded very supportive, he said, stressing that a delay can have major consequences, both for economy and for Pakistani people.

He also revealed, in an interview with the Associated Press, that Pakistan may have to import about a million tonnes of wheat and large quantities of fertiliser, to off-set losses due to destroyed farmland and closed factories.

Earlier, the prime minister’s address to the UNGA created the impression that Pakistan was seeking reparations for the damages caused by the climate change-induced floods.

This led to default speculations, first raised by The Financial Times in a report published on Friday. This prompted concerns among the Pakistani team at the UN, and it was then that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had to reassure the world that “Pakistan is not going to default.”

Talking to the media immediately after the prime minister’s address, the foreign minister explained that Pakistan was not seeking reparations “as no one has succeeded in getting reparations.”

However, climate justice for Pakistan would mean that richer countries whose “industrialisation has contributed far more to climate change than Pakistan’s, [should] engage with Pakistan in a sympathetic manner.”

Such explanations, however, angered about 300 Pakistani Americans who gathered outside the UN building as the prime minister spoke.

“They are staying at some of the most expensive hotels like Plaza and Park Hayat, paying between $2,000 and $4,000 a room,” said Nasir Q. Khan, a New York resident.

However, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, when asked to comment on such claims said: “I will respond to these rumors when we return to Islamabad.”

Urging the international community to unfreeze Afghan assets, PM Shehbaz also said during his AP interview that by adhering to the Doha Agreement, the Taliban regime in Kabul has “a golden opportunity to ensure peace and progress for the people”.

About ties with India, he reiterated that India has to understand that unless and until the burning issue of Kashmir is resolved through peaceful talks “we will not be able to live in peace”.

Separately, he said in a tweet that Pakistan desired peaceful relations with India, but Delhi should reverse its post-August 2019 actions and stop the process of demographic change in India-held Jammu and Kashmir

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2022

https://www.dawn.com/news/1711821/a...t-to-third-party-audit-shehbaz-assures-donors
 
Last edited:
MenInG said:
Pakistan has robust and transparent mechanisms in place to ensure that all aid provided to the country was being delivered to those in need, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday as he assured donors that he would ensure a third-party audit of every penny received by the country through “well-reputed international companies”.

The prime minister, who left the US on Friday evening, was quoted by the Associated Press of Pakistan as saying that he had met top officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) and appealed for a moratorium on loan repayments and deferment of other conditions until the flood situation improves.

They sounded very supportive, he said, stressing that a delay can have major consequences, both for economy and for Pakistani people.

He also revealed, in an interview with the Associated Press, that Pakistan may have to import about a million tonnes of wheat and large quantities of fertiliser, to off-set losses due to destroyed farmland and closed factories.

Earlier, the prime minister’s address to the UNGA created the impression that Pakistan was seeking reparations for the damages caused by the climate change-induced floods.

This led to default speculations, first raised by The Financial Times in a report published on Friday. This prompted concerns among the Pakistani team at the UN, and it was then that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had to reassure the world that “Pakistan is not going to default.”

Talking to the media immediately after the prime minister’s address, the foreign minister explained that Pakistan was not seeking reparations “as no one has succeeded in getting reparations.”

However, climate justice for Pakistan would mean that richer countries whose “industrialisation has contributed far more to climate change than Pakistan’s, [should] engage with Pakistan in a sympathetic manner.”

Such explanations, however, angered about 300 Pakistani Americans who gathered outside the UN building as the prime minister spoke.

“They are staying at some of the most expensive hotels like Plaza and Park Hayat, paying between $2,000 and $4,000 a room,” said Nasir Q. Khan, a New York resident.

However, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, when asked to comment on such claims said: “I will respond to these rumors when we return to Islamabad.”

Urging the international community to unfreeze Afghan assets, PM Shehbaz also said during his AP interview that by adhering to the Doha Agreement, the Taliban regime in Kabul has “a golden opportunity to ensure peace and progress for the people”.

About ties with India, he reiterated that India has to understand that unless and until the burning issue of Kashmir is resolved through peaceful talks “we will not be able to live in peace”.

Separately, he said in a tweet that Pakistan desired peaceful relations with India, but Delhi should reverse its post-August 2019 actions and stop the process of demographic change in India-held Jammu and Kashmir

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2022

https://www.dawn.com/news/1711821/a...t-to-third-party-audit-shehbaz-assures-donors
Click to expand...

The fact that Crime Minister has to even mention the fact that he wont steal the funds tells you that a) they will be stolen and b) everyone at home and abroad knows it.
 
Saudi aid flight, UAE ship reach Karachi
Flood assistance from brotherly Muslim countries continues to pour in

KARACHI:
The arrival of assistance for the flood victims from the brotherly Muslim countries continued on Sunday, with an aid flight landing at the Karachi airport, while a cargo ship, carrying 30 containers docked at the Karachi Port, officials said.

The flight from Saudi Arabia was the eighth such airlift from the brotherly country. The head of the King Salman Relief Centre, officials of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Pakistan Army 5 Corps received the aid.

Simultaneously, a cargo ship, carrying 30 containers of relief goods from UAE reached the Karachi port. According to the UAE consulate, the relief goods included food items, medicines and other goods for the thousands of flood victims in Pakistan.

Also on Sunday, Italy joined the countries sending aid to Pakistan. The Italian aid was received by Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Relief and Rehabilitation Rasool Bakhsh Chandio at the airport. The Italian consul general, the NDMA officials were also present on the occasion.

Earlier this week, the first flight from Russia, carrying relief goods for the flood victims landed at Jinnah International Airport. Russia sent rice, palm oil, dry milk, tents, water and other relief goods for the flood victims of Pakistan.

On Saturday, an Indonesian humanitarian NGO, Dompet Dhuafa, launched a pilot project of Indonesian housing for flood victims of Sindh in collaboration with a local NGO. The project was inaugurated by Indonesian Consul General Dr June Kuncoro Hadiningrat.

According to the field manager of Dompet Dhuafa, the house design was based on the "growing house concept". He maintained that the housing had been developed while keeping in view the future needs of the occupants.

The Foreign Office said in a statement that Pakistan was thankful to all the countries extending their support in the form of humanitarian assistance and showing solidarity towards Pakistan in such testing times.

Express Tribune
 
The Asian Development Bank will approve funding of over $2 billion to support Pakistan’s post-flood relief and resilience activities by end of the current year, ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Eugene Zhukov told a virtual press conference from Manila on Thursday.

Expressing sympathies and grief over the huge devastation caused by the recent floods and torrential rains in Pakistan, he said that the ADB had already provided a $3 million grant for the immediate purchase of relief goods such as food supplies and tents.
 
Washington on Friday rolled over an agreement to suspend service payments on $132 million of Pakistan's debt, the US embassy in Islamabad said, as the country faces an economic crisis exacerbated by devastating floods.

Pakistan's economy is facing a balance of payments crisis, a widening current account deficit, a slide in its currency to historic lows, and inflation crossing 27%.
 
MenInG said:
Washington on Friday rolled over an agreement to suspend service payments on $132 million of Pakistan's debt, the US embassy in Islamabad said, as the country faces an economic crisis exacerbated by devastating floods.

Pakistan's economy is facing a balance of payments crisis, a widening current account deficit, a slide in its currency to historic lows, and inflation crossing 27%.
Click to expand...

Is the payment delayed or wiped out? Sorry dont understand
 
Sindh, World Bank agree to launch Rs110b housing project for flood victims
Development comes after CM Murad, officials of global lender hold meeting to discuss rehabilitation process

KARACHI:
The Sindh government with the assistance of World Bank has decided to launch a Rs110 billion housing scheme for the flood-affected people and a special unit will also be established under the chief secretary.

This emerged on Friday in a meeting between Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and World Bank Country Director Najy Benhassine who attended the huddle through video link from Islamabad.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, Azra Pechuho, Manzoor Wassan, Nasir Shah Jam Khan Shoro, Zia Abbas Shah, Rasool Bux Chandio, Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Chairman P&D Hassan Naqvi, and secretaries concerned. The World Bank team who attended the meeting in person include Programme Leader Abedalrazaq Khalif, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist Elif Ayhan, Bilal Khalid, Kamran Akbar, Yunziyi Lag and Farah Yamin.

The chief minister said that he has already deputed teams to clear water from flooded towns and villages. “The dewatering process is in progress and hopefully within one-and-a-half months it would be completed,” he said and added that he would start construction of houses for the affected people once the water is drained.

CM Murad said as the winter season is around the corner “we have to make housing arrangements for the people”.

He urged the global lender to finance the housing project.

The provincial chief executive and the World Bank country director after thorough discussions and deliberations decided to launch the project of Rs110 billion for which a company would be established under the chairmanship of the chief secretary.

The chief executive officer (CEO) of the company with the support of the public and private sector would start the construction of the houses for which the survey is in progress.

Express Tribune
 
UN revises appeal for Pak flood victims to $816m
The United Nations has revised the ‘Flash Appeal’ for Pakistan’s flood victims from $160 million to $ 816 million equaling to Rs186.12 billion

ISLAMABAD/ SEHWAN: Amid the second phase of death and disaster, the United Nations has revised the ‘Flash Appeal’ for Pakistan’s flood victims from $160 million to $ 816 million equaling to Rs186.12 billion.

The UN decided to upscale the humanitarian aid given the dismal health conditions in the flood-ravaged areas amid fast spreading waterborne diseases such as malaria, dengue and diarrhea.

Julien Harneis, UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan, warned that the prevailing wave of diseases in the flood-ravaged areas could inflict many more deaths among flood victims particularly the children who are the most vulnerable segment.

Meanwhile, the emergency ward at the main government hospital in Sehwan, a small town in southern Pakistan, is overwhelmed. Hundreds of people crammed into rooms and corridors, desperately seeking treatment for malaria and other illnesses that are spreading fast after the country’s worst floods in decades.

Amid the crush, Naveed Ahmed, a young doctor in the emergency response department of the Abdullah Shah Institute of Health Sciences, is surrounded by five or six people trying to get his attention.

The 30-year-old keeps his cool as stretched emergency services struggle to cope with thousands of patients arriving from miles around after their homes were submerged under water when heavy rains fell in August and September.

“We become so overworked at times that I feel like collapsing and going on an intravenous drip,” a smiling Ahmed told as he sipped a cup of tea in the hospital’s canteen during a short break. “But it’s because of the prayers of these patients that we keep going.”

Ahmed is on the frontline of the battle to limit sickness and death across southern Pakistan, where hundreds of towns and villages were cut off by rising waters. The deluge has affected around 33 million people in a country of 220 million.

Most of the estimated 300-400 patients arriving at his clinic each morning, many of them children, are suffering from malaria and diarrhoea, although with winter approaching, Ahmed fears other illnesses will become more common.

“I hope people displaced by the floods can get back to their homes before winter; (if not) they will be exposed to respiratory illnesses and pneumonia living in tents,” he said. Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis who fled their homes are living in government camps set up to accommodate them, or simply out in the open.

Stagnant floodwaters, spread over hundreds of square kilometres (miles), may take two to six months to recede in some places, and have already led to widespread cases of skin and eye infections, diarrhoea, malaria, typhoid and dengue fever.

The crisis hits Pakistan at a particularly bad time. With its economy in crisis, propped up by loans from the International Monetary Fund, it does not have the resources to cope with the longer term effects of the flooding.

Nearly 1,700 people have been killed in the floods caused by heavy monsoon rains and melting glaciers. Pakistan estimates the cost of the damage at $30 billion, and the government and United Nations have blamed the catastrophe on climate change.

Over 340 people have died of diseases caused by the floods, authorities have said. According to the health department of Sindh province, the worst-affected region, 17,285 cases of malaria have been confirmed since July 1.

Anticipating the risk of disease outbreaks after the rescue and relief phase of the floods, the Sindh government is trying to hire more than 5,000 health professionals on a temporary basis in districts most at risk.

“We are short of human resources considering the magnitude of the burden of disease following the unprecedented rains and floods,” Qasim Soomro, provincial lawmaker and parliamentary health secretary of the Sindh government, told.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concern about an impending “second disaster” of water-borne diseases spreading across the country, particularly in Sindh.

In the hospital ward in Sehwan, a young man with a high fever was having fits on a bed outside the main emergency room. His mother ran to Ahmed, who attended the patient and asked a male nurse to place cold pads on his forehead.

The air was heavy with humidity, and there were not enough air conditioners to cool temperatures in overcrowded corridors lined with beds. The wards were filled to capacity and a handful of beds had more than one patient on them.

Ahmed, a graduate of a university in China, described the pressure he and other medics were under. “With such influx, we ... cannot wait for test results for each patient to start the treatment,” he said, adding he begins administering medicine for malaria as soon as he sees some symptoms.

The institute in Sehwan serves people from neighbouring towns and districts, including those living in camps while the waters recede and rebuilding can begin. Jagan Shahani’s daughter fell unconscious after getting a fever around a week ago. He used a boat to get out of his flooded village of Bhajara and flagged down a car on the nearby road that took them to Sehwan.

“Doctors said she had malaria,” he said, adding, “This is our fourth night here. There is nothing here to eat but Allah has been very kind to provide everything. On the outskirts of town, hundreds of displaced people queued up for rations being distributed at Lal Bagah, a tent settlement where displaced families prepared tea and breakfast on open fires.

The Indus Highway that runs past Sehwan is dotted with tent camps for displaced people. Some are beginning to return home where waters have retreated far enough, but not all are so lucky.

“There is no one here to help me but Allah. I pray to Allah that the waters recede in my village and I can return to my home,” said Madad Ali Bozdar. Bozdar, 52, is from Bubak, a town located on the north-eastern bank of Manchar Lake. He said his village is still under water. He expected to be able to go back in around two months’ time.

Besides, the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations are set to launch an up-scaled “flash appeal” today in Geneva on the basis of an updated on-ground needs assessment of the floods situation in the country.

Ministerial level participation from the government of Pakistan will include Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman, attending the event in person in Geneva, and Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar participating virtually from Islamabad.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths and Director General WHO Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will represent the UN, along with Resident Coordinator in Pakistan Julien Harneis.

The meeting will be attended by the United States Member States as well as various UN agencies and humanitarian organizations working in the area of disaster relief.

The Floods Response Plan has been prepared in close coordination between the government of Pakistan and the United Nations, and focuses on providing necessary assistance to the vulnerable people affected by the unprecedented floods. It complements the government’s overall response to the recent climate-induced floods in Pakistan.

The News PK
 
The European Union has announced to scale up its assistance to Pakistan by Rs6.7 billion to help people affected by torrential floods in order to address the most urgent needs in a more substantial manner.

During a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, announced PKR 6.7 billion (€30 million) in humanitarian aid for Pakistan.

The commissioner is visiting Pakistan this week to get a first-hand impression of the impact of the catastrophic floods and of the ongoing relief efforts.

According to a statement, the new funding aims to address the most urgent needs such as basic shelters, clean drinking water and sanitation, food and nutrition as well as medical services.

The actions funded by the European Union will ensure that women, children and other vulnerable people are protected from further harm and that children have again access to education as quickly as possible.

The cash assistance will enable people cover their basic needs and rebuild their homes and livelihoods. Given the scale of the crisis, the psychological impact on affected people will also be taken into account. Commissioner Lenarčič said: “People in Pakistan are suffering the devastating consequences of an unprecedented flooding emergency.

"Our thoughts are with those who lost family members, friends and their own homes. What is more, many livelihoods have been lost. With this new funding, the EU reaffirms its continued support to Pakistan and stands by the most vulnerable to help them fulfil basic needs," he said.

He also emphasised the ecological aspect of the disaster and said, "once again, however, nature reminded us of the impact of global warming. Mainstreaming disaster preparedness and prevention in EU-funded projects will therefore remain our top priority within the provision of humanitarian assistance".

Upon arrival in Pakistan, Commissioner Lenarcic travelled to Khipro in Sindh province to understand the scale of the disaster, speak to affected communities and see the European assistance that is already provided on the ground.

He visited a water purification plant run by a Danish civil protection team and a humanitarian project implemented by an EU-funded international non-governmental organization. Together as “Team Europe”, the European Union and its member states have already committed €93 mio to date.

With the additional funds announced today, this reaches a total of €123 mio. In addition, European civil protection agencies have provided in-kind donations of tents, blankets, medical equipment as well as experts and technicians.

The European Commission's Copernicus satellite service collects real-time data and provides high-resolution maps to support the assessment of the situation in the most affected areas.

The EU’s Global Flood Monitoring (GFM) system can help teams working on the ground and the national and provincial authorities monitor the situation and direct resources accordingly.

Express Tribune
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What happened in Pakistan will not stay in Pakistan.<br><br>More than 1600 Pakistanis–including 400 children–have lost their lives. 1000s of KMs of road infrastructure & bridges are washed away. Entire villages have been swallowed up by raging waters. Nature has been truly unforgiving. <a href="https://t.co/btzmtIRhYs">https://t.co/btzmtIRhYs</a></p>— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1577557677454274560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
ADB OKAYS $2.5BN TO SUPPORT FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS IN PAKISTAN

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday announced providing $ 2.3 to 2.5 billion to Pakistan for flood relief efforts, ARY News reported.

According to a press release issued by the Finance Division, the announcement was made during a meeting between Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and ADB Country Director for Pakistan Yong Ye.

The ADB also announced US$ 1.5bn for the BRACE program which will be placed before the ADB Board for approval during this month, it added.

Yong Ye also apprised the minister about the ongoing and future projects of ADB in different sectors including social protection, food security and energy sectors.

The finance minister apprised the delegation of devastation caused by the recent floods in the country and its impact on the economy of Pakistan. He further stated that Pakistan’s economy faced huge challenges.

Country Director ADB, Yong Ye extended felicitations to Finance Minister on assuming the charge of the office and expressed sympathy on the loss of lives and properties in the devastating floods in Pakistan.

Regarding the Country Partnership Strategy for Pakistan 2021-25, he shared that this strategy was in line with the vision of government of Pakistan.

On August 31, the Asian Development Bank also approved $3 million grant for the immediate purchase of relief goods such as food supplies and tents on August 31, 2022.

Furthermore, the ADB is also aiming to mobilize a $500-700 million package for the much-needed immediate relief assistance, early recovery and rehabilitation, and reconstruction. The package would be approved by the end of current year.

It is pertinent to mention here that the devastating floods have killed nearly 1,700 people in Pakistan and injuring tens of thousands since mid-June.

Pakistan and the United Nations (UN) recently jointly launched a fresh appeal of over $800 million on the basis of updated on-ground need assessment of the flood situation in the country.

ARY
 
The UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution urging donor nations and institutions to provide full support to rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in Pakistan.

“The scaling calamities in Pakistan can linger for years. Massive guidance and support to the government of Pakistan are absolutely essential,” said UN Secretary General Ant*ónio Guterres, while speaking in favour of the resolution.

The resolution, co-sponso*red by 159 countries, urges the international community, “in particular donor countries, international financial institutions and relevant international organisations, as well as the private sector and civil society, to extend full support and assistance to Pakistan in its efforts to mitigate the adverse impacts of the floods and to meet the medium- and long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction needs”.
 
UN chief says West’s ‘moral responsibility’ to help Pakistan

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan is the victim of “a grim calculus of climate injustice”, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, while calling on industrialised nations that drive 80 per cent of climate-destroying emissions to help the country recover, adapt and build resilience to disasters.

While concluding a debate on the devastation caused by the recent floods, the UN chief called help for Pakistan a “moral responsibility” of industrialised nations.

“This time it is Pakistan, tomorrow, it could be any of our countries and our communities,” he added.

On Friday, the UNGA unanimously adopted a resolution urging donor nations and institutions to provide full support to rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.

Mr Guterres, who recently visited Pakistan, told the UNGA that flood waters covered a landmass three times the total area of his own country, Portugal.

“Pakistan is on the verge of a public health disaster”, he warned, adding that now cholera, malaria and dengue fever could take “far more lives than the floods”.

In another appeal for help, the UN refugee agency said on Saturday that it urgently needed relief goods for more than 650,000 people.

UNHCR Spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh said Pakistan was facing “a colossal challenge” and more support were needed.

In its latest estimates, UNHCR has recorded at least 1,700 deaths; 12,800 injured, including at least 4,000 children; some 7.9 million displacements; and nearly 600,000 living in relief sites.

DAWN
 
His head haloed by a whirlwind of mosquitoes, Aamir Hussain stands on the roof of his home in southern Pakistan surveying the fetid floodwaters all around.
Four months after the start of record monsoon rains linked to climate change, the standing water has curdled into a pestilent soup breeding malaria, cholera and dengue.

The UN has warned of a "second wave" of catastrophe, with the risk that deaths from water-borne disease and malnutrition will outstrip the 1,700 drowned and electrocuted in the initial cascade.

As dusk arrives in Hussain’s submerged village in Dadu district of Sindh province, so do the bugs and the gamble that they will infect his wife and two children.
"The mosquitoes bite a lot and we fall sick," said the 25-year-old, atop a brickwork compound framing a courtyard awash with putrid, sucking mud.

His brother, who shares this home, has already ventured off the roof to treat his sick children at the hospital with borrowed cash.

"Some of our nets are torn now so we are worried," said Hussain, whose infant son has fallen ill.

Sindh has been worst hit by the catastrophic flooding which put a third of Pakistan underwater, displaced eight million, destroyed or damaged two million homes, crippled 1,500 hospitals and clinics and caused an estimated $28 billion in damages.

Cascading disaster

Climate change minister Sherry Rehman said this week that more than 20 million people are still in need "with futures that are entirely precarious". Eight million of those require "urgent medical services", she said.

Zahida Mallah has already been tipped over the edge.

In a bleak camp south of Dadu, outside the city of Hyderabad, the 35-year-old explained she is in mourning for her twin two-month-old sons.
One died on the day AFP visited, the other around two weeks ago at a separate camp.

They were killed by "colds", she said, after sleeping out in the open. She was offered a tent only after it was too late.

"We just keep floundering," she lamented.

Nearby, the city of Johi is corralled by water, accessible via a ramshackle flotilla of canoes powered by greasy petrol engines.

Residents rallied to save the city as the rains lashed down, heaving sandbags into a snaking makeshift levee. But it cannot hold back the disease.

In a desperately rundown emergency clinic, a doctor treats unresponsive seven-year-old Kashaf, a suspected malaria patient lying on dirty sheets with a clutch of pharmaceuticals at her feet.

"Perhaps it’s a natural disaster, or perhaps we are being tested by God, but whatever it is we are the victims," said her father, 20-year-old Dildar Mastoi.

Under a black scarf, his daughter’s eyes have rolled back into her head. She no longer recognises her parents — doctors say fever has affected her brain.

Barely adults themselves, her mother and father fled rising waters twice before settling in a camp where they drink from a well they suspect is contaminated by flood water.

"From early evening until dawn, throughout the whole night, the mosquitoes are overwhelming," said Kashaf’s mother, 19-year-old Bashiran Mastoi. "When the night approaches we start to worry."

"Life at the camp is immensely miserable," she said in a vigil on her child’s sickbed.

Medic Manzoor Shahani said there has been a "surge" in malaria, gastro illnesses, and dengue while "most of the patients are children and pregnant women".
‘The hidden fever’

Before the floods, southern Pakistan was already devastated by grinding poverty. Now aid only sporadically penetrates the patchwork swampland, while the true number of those in need has yet to even be discovered.

Doctors and officials offer contradicting figures, as they grapple to understand the scale. In Dadu, the official death toll is just 23, but everyone privately agrees the real figure must be far higher.

"This is devastation beyond the government’s approach," said provincial health monitor Faheem Soomro, as young doctors tally the day’s fresh patients at a boardroom table.

Half of the malaria tests are coming back positive and most homes have suspected cases.

Sindh has recorded 208,000 cases of malaria so far this year, a dramatic rise from 2021, when cases were reported.

Left untreated — as it certainly is in the stranded swathes of Sindh — malaria can quickly turn fatal. In a normal year, there are 50,000 deaths from malaria in Pakistan.

Soomro describes it as "the hidden fever". It has vague flu-like symptoms — as the mosquito-borne parasite enters the liver and bloodstream, in severe cases swelling the brain.

The healthcare disaster is most easily monitored in camps — there are 19 in Dadu — where the luckiest of the displaced live in row upon row of hundreds of simple A-frame tents.

In one of the "tent cities" home to around 5,000, residents clamour for treatment in a blustery gazebo where doctors test them for malnutrition and malaria, as others offer vaccinations and female health advice.

Soomro estimates 60% of the displaced once stayed in camps like this, but three-quarters of those have scattered back to the sodden hinterlands to remake their lives, often out of reach of aid efforts.

Outside the camps, the dispersed can be seen everywhere — in tents and on daybeds clustered by highways and near scummy stagnant lakes.

‘Unaware’ victims

The monsoon torrent came after Pakistan was seared by a spring heatwave, with pockets of Sindh sporadically suffering temperatures of 50C (122F).
Extreme weather events are increasing in severity as a result of climate change, scientists say.

Pakistan — the world’s fifth largest population — is responsible for only 0.8% of global greenhouse emissions but it’s one of the most vulnerable to extreme weather caused by global warming.

In Johi, community activist Ali Pervez laments how the worst affected Pakistanis are unable to advocate for climate justice.
"They are totally unaware," he said.

"There is not any quality education [so] that we can easily make aware, empower our people."

AFP
 
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