Tag: flash floods

  • Malala expected to visit flood relief areas next week

    Malala expected to visit flood relief areas next week

    Nobel laureate and social activist Malala Yousafzai is expected to visit flood affected areas of Pakistan in the second week of October. She is expected to reach the country on October 12 on a three day visit.

    According to sources of Geo News, the Sindh Home Department has issued directives to make strict security arrangements for Malala. A specialised police unit is making arrangements.

    As per media reports, she will first land in Karachi. She will then travel to Dadu under strict security.

    She is expected to offer flood relief funding from the Malala Fund.

    As many as 33 million people of the 220 million South Asian nation have been affected in some way by the floods that swept away houses, roads, railways and bridges and submerged around 4 million acres of farmland.

    Yousafzai recently announced the launch of her production company, Extracurricular.

  • Flood update: UN passes resolution urging countries to support rehabilitation efforts

    Flood update: UN passes resolution urging countries to support rehabilitation efforts

    The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution on Friday calling for an increase in humanitarian aid to help Pakistan. The resolution has been passed to provide full support to rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in Pakistan.

    The 193-member body unanimously adopted the resolution, which stated that improved access to international climate financing was crucial for assisting poor nations in reducing their emissions and adapting to climate change, especially the most vulnerable ones.

    159 nations representing all continents joined Pakistan in sponsoring the resolution. UNGA President Csaba Korosi asked the international community to assist the flood-devastated nation and stated that he stood with Pakistan in this hour of need.

    The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution on Friday calling for an increase in humanitarian aid to help Pakistan. The resolution has been passed to provide full support to rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in Pakistan.

    The 193-member organisation unanimously adopted the resolution, which stated that improved access to international climate financing was crucial for assisting poor nations in reducing their emissions and adapting to climate change, especially the most vulnerable ones.

  • US President says Pakistan ‘underwater’, other countries should help

    US President says Pakistan ‘underwater’, other countries should help

    President of the United States, Joe Biden, on Wednesday asked the world to step forward and stop the effects of climate change. While addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, the American President said that Pakistan must be helped as the country remains under water after devastating floods hit the country.

    In his address to the 193 member strong UNGA, the US President announced another $2.9 billion for a fund aimed at helping to resolve global food insecurity.

    “Pakistan is still under water, needs help,” he said during the speech.

    “Families are facing impossible choices, choosing which child to feed and wondering whether they’ll survive,” he said. “This is the human cost of climate change. And it’s growing, not lessening.”

    Devastating floods in Pakistan have wreaked havoc across the country, leaving a path of destruction and loss in their wake. More than 1,599 people have lost their lives, one-third of whom are children.

    Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers triggered the disaster. The United Nations (UN) and Pakistan have linked the extreme weather to climate change; some 600,000 people have fled their homes.

    As many as 33 million people of the 220 million South Asian nation have been affected in some way by the floods that swept away houses, roads, railways and bridges and submerged around 4 million acres of farmland.

  • ‘Six months’: Murad Ali Shah gives estimate on when flood waters will drain

    Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah said that the government is working on rehabilitating people and the province’s drainage, irrigation network. According to him, it will take “three to six months” to drain the water from flood-affected areas of the province as in “some areas, there is at least eight to 10 feet of water”.

    While speaking to the media in Karachi, the chief minister talked about the damages and loss of assets. He said that “12.5 million people are affected by the disaster and around 350 billion rupees’ losses to the farmers are being reported in the province.”

    He revealed that even in places where the floodwater is receding, “the situation is not such that people can return”, highlighting that Pakistan had received unprecedented rainfall this year.

    It is pertinent to mention that Sindh is the worst-hit province so far after biblical floods wreaked havoc across the country. Sindh had the most deaths and injuries. Out of the 1,396 fatalities countrywide, 578 people have died in Sindh province alone.

    Moreover, CM Shah said that the province is facing a shortage of tents and medicines and he had raised the issue with the United Nations (UN) chief Antonio Guterres during his recent visit to Sindh.

    “The whole world has to come together to combat climate change,” he said, adding that Guterres had also called on the world to “pitch in” to help Pakistan navigate the crisis.

    Earlier, the UN chief on his visit to Pakistan’s flood-affected areas said that he has “never seen climate carnage on this scale”.

    At a press conference in Karachi on Saturday after witnessing the worst of the damage in southern Pakistan, he said, “I have seen many humanitarian disasters in the world, but I have never seen climate carnage on this scale.”

    Guterres also strongly urged international creditors to introduce a new mechanism ‘Debt Swap’ for flood-devastated Pakistan.

  • Punjab CM Pervaiz Elahi increases financial assistance for flood victims to Rs10 lac

    Punjab CM Pervaiz Elahi increases financial assistance for flood victims to Rs10 lac

    Chief Minister (CM) Punjab, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, has increased financial assistance for families of deceased victims from Rs. 0.8 million to 1 million (Rs 8lac to Rs10 lac).

    CM Elahi had a meeting with Provincial Minister Muhammad Muneeb Sultan Cheema in which they discussed the current political situation of the country and relief activities for flood affectees.

    Elahi was of the view that Pakistan has been greatly affected by climate change, with massive destruction caused by unusual rains and floods. For this purpose, the government has to take extraordinary measures, reports Geo Urdu.

    Commissioner Dera Ghazi Khan (DG Khan) said that Rs75,000 will be given for the loss of large animals due to floods.

    The aid for those who lost their cemented houses has been increased from Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 400,000. Similarly, the aid for those who lost their mud houses has been increased to Rs. 200,000 from Rs. 40,000.

    On Friday, Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari presented a cheque of Rs15 million to PM Shehbaz as a contribution from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs towards the PM’s Flood Relief Fund.

    Last week, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif announced that PM Flood Relief Fund will be audited by the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) and a private audit firm to ensure transparency.

    Devastating floods in Pakistan have wreaked havoc across the country, leaving a path of destruction and loss in their wake. More than 1,400 people have lost their lives, one-third of whom are children.

    Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers triggered the disaster. The United Nations (UN) and Pakistan have linked the extreme weather to climate change; some 600,000 people have fled their homes.

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  • ‘Matter of justice’: UN chief appeals to the world to support Pakistan

    ‘Matter of justice’: UN chief appeals to the world to support Pakistan

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday, September 10, urged the international community to support disaster-hit Pakistan as the country needed massive financial help to overcome post-flood crises.

    “It is not a matter of generosity, but a matter of justice,” he said reiterating the United Nation’s commitment, strong support, and solidarity with the flood-affected populace of Pakistan.

    Guterres said that huge damages and losses were caused to human lives and properties. The Secretary General further said that the UN absolutely supported Pakistan and requested richer nations to generously help the country so that it could face the future challenges of climatic changes and save its people.

    He stressed that the international community must realize the serious impacts of greenhouse emissions as nature was striking back in the form of natural calamities.

    He continued that greenhouse gases had accelerated climatic changes and that nations with larger greenhouse emission footprints must understand these issues. Citing scientific estimates, the UN secretary-general emphasized that now was the right time to reduce greenhouse emissions.

    He said it was also a fact that they were living in a climatic changing era and have to make efforts to rebuild communities and to enable countries to resist and face future disasters that could be wrought by the natural calamities.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, provincial ministers, and the relevant authorities were present on the occasion.

    Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah gave a detailed briefing on the damages and loss of lives in the province.

    He said during the current monsoon season, different districts of the province had received unusual rainfall never witnessed in the past.

    He said that 30 districts of the province were affected, displacing about 12 million, adding that a total of 578 people lost their lives. A total of 3 million houses were destroyed and crops grown on an area of about 3.3 million acres were damaged while 500,000 livestock had been swept away.

    Earlier, the prime minister along with the UN secretary general and the federal ministers took an aerial review of the flood-affected areas of the Sindh province.

  • Across borders: Rahul Gandhi extends heartfelt sympathies to Pakistan’s flood victims

    The leader of India’s Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, has extended his heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the bereaved flood-affected families of Pakistan.

    In a tweet on Friday, Gandhi said, “The floods in Pakistan are a terrible tragedy. My heartfelt sympathies to all the people affected and deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones.”

    Earlier, Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi also offered condolences to Pakistan.

    In a tweet posted on August 29, Modi said he was, “Saddened to see the devastation,” of the floods, adding that he hoped to see an early return to normalcy.

    PM Shehbaz Sharif had replied to his Indian counterpart’s tweet, thanking him for his words of condolence.

    Devastating floods in Pakistan have wreaked havoc across the country, leaving a path of destruction and loss in their wake. More than 1,400 people have lost their lives, one-third of whom are children.

    Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers triggered the disaster. The United Nations (UN) and Pakistan have linked the extreme weather to climate change; some 600,000 people have fled their homes.

    As many as 33 million people of the 220 million South Asian nation have been affected in some way by the floods that swept away houses, roads, railways and bridges and submerged around 4 million acres of farmland.

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is currently in Pakistan and all set to visit flood-affected areas of the country today (Saturday).

    On Friday, Guterres said that Pakistan is one of the countries most affected by climate change despite its minimal contribution to the phenomenon.

    During a briefing at the National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NFRCC), the UN chief said, “Pakistan has had little contribution to climate change but it is one of the most dramatically impacted by the consequences of climate change.”

    Earlier this week, PM Shehbaz said that the financial impact of the biblical floods might be in the “trillions”.

  • Naseem Shah to auction his match-winning bat for flood victims

    Naseem Shah has announced the auction of his six-smashing bat, which he used against Afghanistan in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022.

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared a video of Mohmmad Hasnain and Naseem Shah. In the video, Hasnain can be seen gifting his bat to Naseem Shah.

    Hasnain in the video said “By now you know about the inning played by Naseem, which he played outstandingly and led Pakistan to victory by repeating the time when Javed Miandad hit a sixer and this time it was our Naseem, our shehzada [prince], our tiger. So this bat that he played with last night was mine and now I’m gifting it to him so he can do whatever he wants with it.”

    After accepting the bat from Hasnain, Shah thanked him and said that he would auction the bat. He stated that half of the revenues will be donated to flood victims in Pakistan.

    At he very end of the nail-biting match between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Naseem Shah smashed two sixes on two balls and powered Pakistan into the final of Asia Cup 2022 against Sri Lanka on September 11. In the process, he sealed his place in history too.

  • Men need to know, it’s time to talk about the menstrual period

    Men need to know, it’s time to talk about the menstrual period

    Pakistan is in the throes of devastating floods that have wreaked havoc across all four provinces. The scale of devastation has been estimated to be more than $10 billion. And yet with thousands of lives lost, and millions homeless, we are still debating on whether sending sanitary napkins to the flood-affected areas is a good idea or not. As per an estimate, 8.2 million women in flood-affected areas are of reproductive age. Menstruating women in disaster-hit areas require access to safe and clean menstruation hygiene products. We need to understand that periods don’t pause during floods or rains. It’s a natural process that keeps happening every month to every woman of age. There are women who are pregnant. There might be a few girls who will get their periods for the time. Due to the present conditions when there is no clean water, the use of cloth can be dangerous as well. There are reports that women have had to resort to using leaves in the flood-affected areas during their periods.

    Read more: Floods in Pakistan: Should you donate sanitary pads?

    In times like these when every human matters, why does it happen that women are so conveniently put under the radar and a product that is a basic need for any woman of age, becomes a topic of debate in terms of whether it is a luxury or a necessity? When will people learn to accept that talking or educating about periods is not taboo? It’s about a woman’s hygiene and health. We all need to understand that men and women all need to be treated the same way, with dignity and equality. All of them need the same basic facilities.

    It will take a lot of effort and manpower to provide the rehabilitation and relief needed for millions of people. It’s time we hit pause on always putting women under the radar and for once act with reason and responsibility towards them. We need to learn to empathise with the flood victims without gender discrimination.

  • PM’s flood relief fund to be audited to ‘ensure transparency’

    PM’s flood relief fund to be audited to ‘ensure transparency’

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday announced that the government will conduct an audit of the PM Flood Relief Fund to maintain transparency.

    The fund will be audited by the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) and a private audit firm of “global standing”.

    “As per my commitment to ensure transparency, the government has decided to get the PM Flood Relief Fund audited by AGPR and a private audit firm of global standing. They will audit all incoming and outgoing funds, including where and how the money is spent. The audit reports will be made public,” PM wrote in a tweet.

    Pakistan is experiencing one of the worst floods in its history. In the last 24 hours, 26 more deaths have occurred, which has taken the death toll to 1,290.

    The floods have wreaked havoc across all four provinces. The scale of devastation has been estimated to be upwards of $10 billion.

    Many countries are coming forward to help Pakistan. So far, the country has received aid from China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and the United Arab Emirates among others.

    On Thursday, the UK announced an additional £15 million of lifesaving support for flood victims in Pakistan.

    This week, the United States announced it would provide $30 million for flood victims.

    United Nations (UN) chief Antonio Guterres called the floods a “climate catastrophe” and launched an appeal for $160 million in emergency funding. Meanwhile, western countries have also donated millions of dollars to Pakistan.