United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday visited several areas of Pakistan ravaged by floods, as he rounded off a two-day trip aimed at raising awareness of the disaster.
Accompanied by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Guterres looked at the flooding of Sindh province as he flew to Sukkur to meet the chief minister, video filmed by the Pakistan government showed.
Video: SA NGO Al-Imdaad Foundation to provide aid in Pakistan following floods:
Guterres reiterated that massive financial support was needed to overcome the crisis. Record monsoon rains and glacier melt in northern mountains have triggered floods that have killed more than 1 391 people, sweeping away houses, roads, railway tracks, bridges, livestock, and crops.
Huge areas of the country are inundated, and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes. The government says the lives of nearly 33 million have been disrupted. Pakistan estimates the damage at over R500 billion, and both the government and Guterres have blamed the flooding on climate change.
In July and August, Pakistan got 391 mm (15.4 inches) of rain, or nearly 190% more than the 30-year average. The southern province of Sindh has seen 466% more rain than average.
“Pakistan suffers—yet has done almost nothing to contribute to climate change.
I urge countries to generously support the humanitarian response, recovery & reconstruction.”
— @antonioguterres in Pakistan following devastating floods. https://t.co/uZojAZ0kRI
— United Nations (@UN) September 10, 2022
