Pakistan floods affect more than 33 million

Flood-affected people wait for relief supplies in Dera Ghazi Khan district in Punjab province Monday. Pic/AFP

Early estimates put the damage from Pakistan's recent deadly floods at more than $10 billion, its planning minister said on Monday, adding the world has an obligation to help the South Asian nation cope with the effects of man-made climate change.

Unprecedented flash floods caused by historic monsoon rain have washed away roads, crops, infrastructure and bridges, killing at least 1,136 people in recent weeks and affecting more than 33 million, over 15% of the country's 220 million population. The climate change minister has called the situation a "climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions."

"I think it is going to be huge. So far, (a) very early, preliminary estimate is that it is big, it is higher than $10 billion," Ahsan Iqbal said. "So far we have lost 1,000 human lives. There is damage to almost nearly one million houses," Iqbal said at his office. "People have actually lost their complete livelihood." Iqbal rated the recent floods worst than those that hit Pakistan in 2010, for which United Nations (UN) had issued its largest ever disaster appeal.

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The minister said it might take five years to rebuild and rehabilitate the nation, while in the near term it will be confronted with acute food shortages. To mitigate food shortfalls, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said the country could consider importing vegetables from arch-rival India. The two neighbouring countries have not had any trade for a long time. "We can consider importing vegetables from India," Ismail told local Geo News TV, adding other possible sources of food imports include Turkey and Iran.

‘A monsoon on steroids'

The United Nations issued a flash appeal on Tuesday for $160 million to help Pakistan cope with catastrophic floods "Pakistan is awash in suffering," U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a video message for the launch of the appeal in Islamabad and Geneva. "The Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids - the relentless impact of epochal levels of rain and flooding." Guterres said the $160 million he hoped to raise with the appeal would provide 5.2 million people with food, water, sanitation, emergency education and health support.

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