As a result of rain-induced floods that have so far claimed 937 lives, including 343 children, and left at least 30 million people without shelter, the Pakistani government has declared a national emergency.
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Pakistan reportedly declared National Emergency after death toll hits 937
According to the National Disaster Management Authority, 306 persons died in Sindh Province between June 14 and Thursday as a result of floods and other weather-related accidents (NDMA).
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab Province had 185 and 165 deaths, respectively, while Balochistan reported 234 fatalities. During the recent monsoon rains, 37 persons died in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, while nine deaths were reported in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.
In contrast to the typical monthly rainfall of 48 mm, Pakistan experienced 166.8 mm of rain in August, a 241% increase.
The Dawn News stated that the monsoon deluge increased by 784 percent and 496 percent, respectively, in Sindh and Balochistan, the worst-affected districts.
The unusually high rainfall caused flash floods throughout the nation, but especially in the southern region of Pakistan, which is still under water and has had 23 districts of Sindh designated as “calamity-hit,” according to the newspaper.
Sherry Rehman, the minister for climate change, announced on Thursday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has established a “war room” at NDMA to oversee relief efforts nationwide.
It had “made it hard to carry out relief efforts, notably helicopter flights,” she claimed, because to the relentless “monstrous” rainfall.
During a press conference in Islamabad, the minister stated, “Pakistan is going through its eighth cycle of monsoon; generally the country only has three to four cycles of [monsoon] rain.” She was reported by the daily as stating, “Pakistan is under an exceptional monsoon spell and data suggests the likelihood of the re-emergence of another cycle in September.”
Senator Rehman warned earlier this week that the current predicament was worse than the devastation caused by the 2010 floods.
She continued, “The water is not only streaming from the north as in 2010, but it is similarly or even more catastrophic in its sweep and destructive strength.
The senator claimed that in several parts of the nation, bridges and communication infrastructure had been destroyed by flash floods brought on by severe rainfall.
She stated that “almost 30 million people are without shelter, thousands of them are displaced, and they have no food.”
The minister emphasised the severe need for aid from international donors, stating that this was in line with the provinces’ messages.
She added that all tent producers had been mobilised and that outside donors had also been contacted for tents. Balochistan had requested 100,000 tents, and Sindh had requested one million.
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