Pakistan Floods Displace Millions
Pakistan has been facing floods since June with the recent ones resulting in a national emergency. Over a thousand lives were lost with over 300 of them being children, millions of roads and infrastructure damaged and millions displaced. Fatima El-Zein brings you the latest headline. Pakistan is once again drowning in a catastrophe of fierce floods that swept through the nation claiming over a thousand lives; of which over 300 were children, damaging a million roads and affecting the lives of 30 million people. With TMJ News, I’m Fatima El-Zein and you’re watching the latest headline. Pakistan has been facing floods since June with the recent ones resulting into a national emergency. The UN secretary called it a ‘monsoon of steroids’ and has launched a $160 Million appeal to aid Pakistan as it slowly reels from the floods with more threatening to come. The floods this year were the deadliest after the one in 2010 left over 2000 people dead. According to recent findings, people in South Asia are likely to die 15 times more from climate impacts. The floods have affected all four provinces of Pakistan, damaging many roads as the country plunged into electricity outages in the midst of the disasters. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that his government has spent $45M towards the Balochistan province, one of the most heavily affected areas from the floods, and has promised to provide housing to all those who lost their homes. However, the country needs around $10 billion to fully recover. However, the reality on ground suggests otherwise. On August 5th, it was revealed that at least 12 dams were breached as a result of flash floods and 16 bridges were washed away in Balochistan. While the government denied allegations of corruption and sub-standard construction, breaching of dams not only failed to save rainy water it also put human lives at peril in Pishin, Barkhan, Lasbella, Kohlu, Killa Abdullah, Killa Saifullah and other districts of the province suggesting lack of quality infrastructure. While the country continues to suffer, Shehbaz Sharif’s government tells the nation that these floods have nothing to do with corruption or climate change but the sins of the people. In an interview this week, Shandana Gulzar Khan cited lack of accountability when it came to distributing disaster aid in Pakistan. “There is no way of knowing where the [aid] money is coming from and where the money is going.” she also later claimed that humanitarian aid was not getting to the areas which needed it. Rasheedan Sodhar, A Pakistani woman who lost everything in the floods, had to walk more than 20km (12 miles) to safety after her village in southern Sindh province was submerged in water. “We are a family of 20, and we were told yesterday [Sunday] to immediately leave the village. We have nothing left. We are alive, but we are not able to live any more,” the 25-year-old teacher said, adding that she could not save her 30 livestock while her house was destroyed by the floods.. Sodhar said her entire family, with pregnant women and infants, have no shelter and are living in the open in scorching weather in the nearby town of Mehar. “We barely get one meal a day. Our children are crying all day. What can you tell them to stop crying when there is no home for them,” she said. One third of Pakistan is now under water as countries like Turkey, UAE and Qatar sent various types of aid. Harrowing footage from social media show cars and people being fiercely swept away by strong currents of floods, with other videos show little children crying from fear as they were evacuated from school. The Shiite minority sect was also seen commemorating the annual death day of the 4th Holy Imam Ali Zainul Abideen son of Imam Husain outside their mosques with knee high water surrounding them. Pakistan produces less than 1% of global carbon emissions yet its one of the top 10 countries most affected by the climate crises since 2000, seemingly bearing the brunt of the carelessness of the developed countries and internal corruption within its current administration.
Written by Zamena Manekia Manji, Anchored and Produced by Fatima El-Zein
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