Pakistan: nearly 1,500 dead, 12,000 injured by floods

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Sep 23:31
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Over the span of two months, the devastating floods that risk sinking a third of Pakistan have cost the lives of 1,481 people. Meanwhile, the world remains very much silent on the current climate crisis which triggered this climate catastrophe.

Victims of flooding from monsoon rains carry belongings salvaged from their flooded home in the Dadu district of Sindh Province, of Pakistan, Sept. 9, 2022 (AP Photo/Fareed Khan, File)

The death toll from floods in Pakistan is nearing 1,500 people, with another 12,000 injured since June, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Tuesday.

According to the NDMA, as a result of the monsoon rains and floods continuing since June 14, 1,481 people have died and 12,748 have been injured. Over the past 24 hours, 54 more people were killed and 6 sustained injuries.

The NDMA also noted that as a result of floods some 1.7 million homes have been completely or partially destroyed, over 900,000 livestock killed and 390 bridges damaged.

Last week, the coordinator of the National Flood Response and Coordination Center Zafar Iqbal said that about one-third of the Pakistani territory was submerged, with some $30 billion estimated in damage caused by floods.

Floods in Pakistan has displaced far more people (33 million) in a natural disaster in recent history.

Table courtesy Environment by Impact #PakistanFloods #PakistanFloods2022 pic.twitter.com/ajwYHDigOV
— Musadaq Zulqarnain (@MusadaqZ) September 11, 2022

In late August, the Pakistani authorities declared a state of emergency in the country and called on other states and international organizations to provide all possible assistance to the population. According to the National Disaster Management Authority, Pakistan has witnessed 388.7 mm (15 inches) of rainfall this year, in comparison with the average 134 mm (5.3 inches).

The floods have also triggered concerns on part of the WHO as the situation in the country has been classified as a grade 3 emergency, which is the highest level of emergency in the UN book - especially as risks of disease outbreaks skyrocket.

Three days ago, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has stated that the world owes impoverished Pakistan "massive" assistance in recovering from the summer's devastating floods since the country bears infinitely less blame for the climate crisis than many others. Guterres believes that there is more to be done to assist a country that contributes less than 1% of global emissions.

Other observers have stressed that developed countries, which are responsible for a huge, disproportionate share of emissions and are predominantly to blame for the ongoing climate crisis, have gone back on their word about reducing emissions and helping their developing counterparts with adapting to global warming, Pakistani Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman told The Guardian.