Rainfall disaster: Pakistan reels from death toll of over 580
The death toll following the floods in Pakistan exceeds 580 as people leave their homes, crops, and livestock in search of shelter while heavy rainfall is expected to continue till Friday.
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Pakistani flood impacts (Getty Images)
Non-stop rainfall has hit Pakistan’s largest city for two consecutive days, claiming the lives of more than 40 people in Karachi since July.
An estimated one million Pakistanis have been impacted by heavy rainfall, flash floods and landslides since July as Pakistan experienced more than 60% of its normal total monsoon rainfall in three weeks, leading to the death of more than 580 people and thousands losing their homes as a result.
The provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh have been from the three worst affected, but Balochistan suffered its worst floods in more than 30 years, with the National Disaster Management Authority stating that the province had taken in 305% more rain than the annual average.
Collateral damages
Pakistanis have been forced to leave behind their homes as their crops and livestock were washed away, and hundreds of miles of roads have been destroyed, thus leaving areas impossible to access for emergency services.
Moreover, beyond 570 schools have been damaged, and cholera cases have been reported across the provinces. Residents have reported getting food and aid from volunteers and NGOs but none from government officials, although Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has visited the area twice this month, saying: “We are doing our best to provide for extensive relief and rehabilitation of flood victims.”
Former member of the national task force on climate change, Dr. Pervaiz Amir, described the flooding as “overwhelming”.
