Unprecedented for 30 years… Tens of millions of Pakistanis were battling heavy monsoon rains on Monday that killed at least 1,061 people, swept away countless homes and destroyed vital farmland.
A third of Pakistan is currently “under water”, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said in an interview with AFP, referring to a “crisis of unimaginable proportions”.
Climate change pointed out by Pakistan
A huge relief operation is underway in the country, where international aid was slowly starting to arrive, as the Indus, the country’s main river, threatens to burst its banks.
Pakistani officials attribute the devastating weather to climate change, saying Pakistan is suffering the consequences of irresponsible environmental practices elsewhere in the world.
More than 33 million people, or one in seven Pakistanis, have been affected by the floods and nearly a million homes have been destroyed or severely damaged, according to the government.
28 deaths in the last 24 hours
At least 1,061 people have been killed since the monsoon began in June, with 28 dead in the past 24 hours, according to the latest report from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday. But the authorities were still trying to reach isolated villages located in mountainous areas in the north of the country, which could further increase the toll.
“It’s all just one big ocean, there’s no dry place to pump the water from,” said Sherry Rehman, adding that the economic cost, which has yet to be quantified, would be devastating.
The monsoon, which usually lasts from June to September, is essential for the irrigation of plantations and to replenish the water resources of the Indian subcontinent. But it also brings its share of drama and destruction each year.
Twice as much precipitation as usual
According to Sherry Rehman, these bad weather are even worse than those of 2010, the year during which 2,000 people were killed and almost a fifth of the country submerged by monsoon rains. The country received twice as much rainfall as usual, according to the weather service. In the southern provinces (Balochistan and Sind), the most affected, the rains were more than four times higher than the average of the last 30 years.
The government declared a state of emergency and appealed to the international community for help. On Sunday, the first flights bringing humanitarian aid arrived, from Turkey or the United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan already weighed down by an economy in crisis
These floods come at the worst time for Pakistan, whose economy was already in crisis. The International Monetary Fund was to meet Monday in Washington to agree to the resumption of a loan program of 6 billion dollars, essential for the country. But it is already clear that Pakistan will need much more to rebuild the infrastructure destroyed by the floods.
Staple food prices are soaring and supply problems are already being felt in the provinces of Sindh and Punjab.