THE FLOODWATERS that have ravaged Pakistan since late July will not recede fully until at least the end of the month, the country’s chief meteorologist warned yesterday.
Over the last three weeks, floods caused by torrential monsoon rains have coursed from Pakistan’s mountainous northwest down through its agricultural heartland in Punjab and on to the southern province of Sindh, destroying thousands of villages and submerging millions of acres of farmland.
Up to 20 million people have been affected by the flooding, of whom some six million are children. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has described it as the worst disaster he has ever seen. The current death toll of some 1,600 is expected to rise as floodwaters recede and a clearer picture of the scale of the destruction emerges.
Meteorologist Arif Mahmood said swollen river currents were still heading to major southern cities including Hyderabad and Sukkur and could yet cause more flooding. But he said there were no heavy rains forecast for this week.
“This is good news for aid agencies involved in the rescue and relief operations,” Mahmoud added. A respite from the rain may enable aid workers to reach deeper into more remote areas which have so far been inaccessible due to the damage caused to infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the international response to the disaster appeared to gain some momentum following criticism that the pace of aid commitments had been sluggish. The UN appealed last week for $459 million (€356 million) to address immediate relief needs in the worst-hit regions. UN spokesman Maurizio Giuliano announced yesterday that more than half of the money – 54.5 per cent – had been secured, though this includes pledges that have yet to turn into actual funds.
The EU also announced that it would provide an additional €30 million in emergency assistance, bringing its total aid to €70 million. Earlier this week, the World Bank agreed to lend Islamabad $900 million.
Mr Giuliano said the new flow of aid was “very encouraging” but he warned major challenges remained. In particular, he highlighted concerns that Pakistan may experience a “second wave of death” from disease and hunger in the days and weeks to come. He also noted an estimated 4.6 million displaced people are without shelter in Punjab and Sindh.
On a visit to Russia, president Asif Zardari insisted Pakistan would emerge from the disaster a stronger nation.
“We have . . . the capabilities, we have the people, and all tragedies always unite nations. This tragedy will again unite us,” he said at a regional security meeting with Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and Afghan president Hamid Karzai in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Mr Zardari was expected to stay in Russia for only a few hours, after facing strong criticism at home for pressing ahead with a visit to Europe earlier this month as the scale of the flooding was becoming apparent.
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