For over eight weeks Pakistan has been facing unending torrential rainfall that has submerged one-third of its land mass and caused a humanitarian disaster.
Many villages in the south and north of Pakistan have been washed away, close to 800,000 livestock dead and crops destroyed. The flood has left nearly 300,000 Pakistanis homeless and damaged infrastructure such as roads which are now impassable, and bridges destroyed and caused power outages in most parts of Pakistan.
Rasheeddan Sodhar told Aljazeera news how the flood has rendered her family homeless and her livestock dead.
“We are a family of 20, and we were told yesterday [Sunday] to immediately leave the village. We have nothing left. We are alive, but we are not able to live anymore. I could not save my 30 livestock and my house was destroyed by the deluge,’’ the 25-year-old teacher told Al Jazeera.
Sodhar further said that her entire family, with pregnant women and infants, have no shelter and are living in the open in scorching weather in the nearby town of Mehar.
“We barely get one meal a day. Our children are crying all day. What can you tell them to stop crying when there is no home for them,” she said.
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According to Sherry Rehman Pakistan’s climate change minister in an interview with Sky News, 33 million people have been affected by the flood
‘‘ If I could find a word that would describe the situation it would be better. One-third of Pakistan is under water and 33 million are affected, it is catastrophic, many are still in places we can’t reach them, and our helicopters are not finding places to land to drop goods,’’ she said.
Rehman also said there’s a need for relief materials and efforts to mobilise more food and shelter.
‘‘Right now we need relief for efforts to mobilise further, that is the provision of food, hygiene and shelter. We will need a great deal of help for the reconstruction of roads and 146 bridges that have been broken down,’’ she said.
She further described the situation in Pakistan as a national disaster and a climate catastrophe.
‘‘Many are in places we can’t reach, tell me how that is not catastrophic. There are many heartbreaking scenes of trauma and distress. I will call it quite apocalyptic,’’ Rehman said
The Pakistan government in collaboration with military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has sent soldiers to rescue civilians affected by the flood and also provide relief materials. Efforts are being made to evacuate stranded people in the flooded areas to government buildings and shelters.
