Colossal Crisis: Pakistan 'Awash With Suffering' After 'Epochal' Rain, UN Secretary General Says

Colossal Crisis: Pakistan 'Awash With Suffering' After 'Epochal' Rain, UN Secretary General Says
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres on Tuesday urged the international community to assist Pakistan as it battles 'epochal levels of rain and flooding'.

In a video posted on his Twitter account, the UN chief launched a $160m appeal to help the millions "shattered" by the devastating floods. Terming the calamity it a "monsoon on steroids", he said the rains and subsequent flooding had resulted in a death toll exceeding1,000.

https://twitter.com/antonioguterres/status/1564556094680227841

Pakistan has been facing a pressing challenge in the form of severe floods. Since June, over 1000 people have have lost their lives due to floods and heavy rainfall. Homes in the tens of thousands have been destroyed, and more than 3,000 kilometres of roads have been swept away.

Guterres in his video said that this colossal crisis requires urgent, collective action to help the government and people of Pakistan in their hour of need. The UN appeal would provide some 5.2 million people with food, water, sanitation, emergency education and health support.

He further called South Asia a 'climate crisis hotspot', and urged people to stop ignoring climate change. "Let's stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our planet by climate change. Today, it's Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country."