Pakistan has appealed to its international partners for assistance in conducting the relief programs for flood-hit areas across the country, most notably in Balochistan, Sindh and Southern Punjab.
As such, flood related relief and reconstruction programs will be a challenge for the country, which is already in the midst of an economic slump due to which Pakistan has been looking towards the rekindling of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout program for a much-needed loan.
According to Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman, over 900 people have died as a result of the monsoon since June. Terming it a ‘humanitarian crisis’, she tweeted that there was ‘no question’ of the provincial or federal governments being able to fight the catastrophe on their own. “International partners need to mobilise assistance,” she said.
Torrential rains unprecedented in Sindh right now,Balochistan, DG Khan also at risk. No question of the provinces or Islamabad being able to cope with this magnitude of climate catastrophe on their own.Lives r at risk,thousands homeless. Int’l partners need to mobilise assistance pic.twitter.com/ZgDl7QGMOW
— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) August 23, 2022
Since June, some 95,350 houses have been destroyed and more than 504,000 livestock have been killed. Entire cities and provinces have been cut off as around 3,000 km of roads have been swept away. The main supply route into Balochistan from Karachi was cut off after a bridge linking Karachi and Balochistan was swept away by the water.
Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said in a tweet, “Federal government has also appealed to the international development partners for assistance, so reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed by the flooding can be started once the water recedes.”
