Pakistan floods: International aid pours in as death toll crosses 1,200-mark

A new cargo plane is being flown in by a humanitarian airlift to flood-ravaged Pakistan, officials said, with the death toll exceeding 1,200 and families and children at risk of illness and homelessness.

The ninth flight from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the first flight from Uzbekistan made the final landing in Islamabad, where military-assisted rescue operations elsewhere in Islamabad reached more than 3 million people affected by the disaster. Many officials have blamed climate change for the unusual monsoons and floods, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who earlier this week urged the world to end the "silence" over the deadly crisis.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday that the plane had brought food, medicine and tents. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif was due to visit the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, but postponed the trip to visit flood-hit areas at home.

So far, Pakistan has received support from China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates and other countries. This week, the United States also announced $30 million in flood relief.

Pakistan has blamed climate change for recent heavy rains that have caused floods. Foreign Ministry spokesman Asim Iftikar said at a press conference the day before that the crisis had given scientists a warning about climate change.

"This is a reality, not a conspiracy, and we have to be careful," he said. Initial government estimates put the damage at $10 billion. According to scientists and experts, since 1959 Pakistan has emitted about 0.4 percent of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, compared to 21.5 percent in the United States and 16.4 percent in China. Pakistani officials and experts say areas of Pakistan such as Balochistan and Sindh have seen a 400 percent increase in average rainfall, leading to severe flooding.

Earlier this week, the United Nations and Pakistan launched a joint appeal for $160 million in emergency funds to help 3.3 million people affected by the floods, which have destroyed more than a million homes. On Friday, authorities warned residents of Dadu district in southern Sindh province to move to safety near the Indus River, which is expected to flood the area this week.

Some parts of Sindh were the hottest in Pakistan in May. Now the people there are facing floods that have caused outbreaks of flood disease. Although the floods have receded in most parts of the country, a large part of Sindh is still inundated. About 73,000 women will give birth next month, Fara Naureen, director of international aid organization Mercy Corps in Pakistan, told The Associated Press. Otherwise, the survival of the mother and newborn is at risk, he said. Army-backed rescuers continued rescue and rescue operations Friday morning, the Army said. Rescue teams usually use boats, but helicopters also fly in to evacuate people and deliver food to remote villages, villages and flood-affected areas in Pakistan.

 

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