ISLAMABAD - Pakistan is battling monsoon rains that have affected five million people and killed 200, a toll that is likely to rise with fresh downpours forecast for the coming days.
Torrential rains over the past five weeks have inundated southern Sindh province, which was devastated by last year’s floods, triggering an urgent if tardy humanitarian response.
After waiting weeks for a green light from the Pakistani government, aid agencies are scrambling to distribute aid to villagers trapped by rising waters that have swamped towns, destroyed homes and destroyed farmland.
At least one million homes have been destroyed or damaged and 4.2 million acres (17,000sq km) of land flooded, according to the UN. However the true scale of the crisis will only become clear after a hastily organised emergency assessment over the coming days. -(Guardian service)
