Pakistan puts flood losses at $30 billion, UN chief calls for 'massive' help
Pakistan floods
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited flood-ravaged Pakistan on Friday and called for "massive" international support for the country. Islamabad has put the cost of flood-related damage at $30 billion. Over 1,400 people have died in the South Asian country following record monsoon rains and glacier melt in northern mountains. Floodwaters have swept away houses, roads, railway tracks, bridges, livestock and crops, leaving people in dire conditions.
The government says the lives of nearly 33 million people have been disrupted by the tragedy and both the government and Guterres have blamed climate change for it.
Also Read |Overflowing Indus river turns part of Sindh province into wide lake
"I call on the international community that Pakistan needs massive financial support, as according to initial estimates the losses are around $30 billion," Guterres told a joint news conference in the capital Islamabad, after meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on his two-day visit.
Sharif said "Pakistan needs an infinite amount of funding" for its relief effort, adding the country "will remain in trouble as long as it doesn't receive sufficient international assistance". The United Nations has launched an appeal for $160 million in aid to help Pakistan cope with the disaster. It says more than 6.4 million people need humanitarian support.
Pakistan expects to cut its GDP growth projection for the financial year 2022-2023 to 3 per centfrom 5 per centdue to the losses, planning minister Ahsan Iqbal told an earlier news conference.
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Guterres will tour affected areas during his visit and also hold a meeting with foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Bhutto-Zardari told a news conference after the meeting that Pakistan was waiting for the rescue and relief phase of the crisis to end before calling a donor conference to work on reconstruction.
Also Read |Pakistan floods pose serious threat to 4500-year-old site of Mohenjo-daro
"When we have a 100km lake that has developed in the middle of Pakistan, tell me how big of a drain can I build to manage this?" he said.
"There is no man-made structure that can evacuate this water."
In July and August, Pakistan recorded 391 mm (15.4 inches) of rainfall, nearly 190 per cent more than the 30-year average. The southern province of Sindh has been overwhelmed, with 466 per cent more rain than average.
Guterres said the world needed to understand the impact of climate change on low-income countries.
"It is essential for the international community to realise this, especially the countries who have contributed more to climate change," he said.
The cost of clearing up and rebuilding after the floods has added to concerns about whether the country can afford to keep paying its debts.
(With inputs from agencies)
