ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman on Wednesday said the devastation caused by the recent floods was never seen before in which the affected population is well over 33 million.
Addressing the media at a press conference, she said Pakistan had never seen a disaster of such epic proportions in living history. These are moments of extreme fragility for the country.
She said the government is working day and night to meet the needs of the affected people. “None of us is sleeping much because we are painfully aware of the anguish millions of our people are in,” she added.
She urged the opposition to avoid the politics of polarisation and division in a country under severe public stress.
“We are entering the 9th week of this flood catastrophe. Even despite a huge concerted relief effort, which was delayed because of the hard rain not letting helicopters take off, the affected population is well over 33 million. They all need shelter, water to drink, hygiene kits, and cooked food," the minister said.
She said we were grateful for civil society activists and philanthropists who are coming forth in big numbers now. We need everyone to help.
The rains in Sindh and Balochistan have surpassed 30-year averages and have taken more than 1,191 lives, with well over 33 million severely affected. More than 5,000 km of roads and 243 bridges have been destroyed, and nearly a million homes have been fully or partially damaged. The north, too, is badly affected, with the Indus rising via the Kabul River.
The task of rebuilding in places has already begun, but it will be a mammoth task. If we are to build back better, it will honestly require more than the 10 billion USD that is being talked about. Climate resilient infrastructure is expensive, and requires scientific designing, with fortifications to withstand climate shocks. The same will be the case for crops. Right now Sindh’s crop is almost all wiped out.
"Next stage will be health management because the flood-hit [areas] will be exposed to water-borne diseases. This could soon become a health disaster. We are under-resourced at the moment, but we implore everyone to donate as much as possible to reliable organisations. We have repurposed our funds to service the relief effort including the BISP cash transfers to deal with the immediate calamity. It is still not enough. All of us must stand united in the face of this devastation."
Answering a question on Shaukat Tarin’s phone calls which “attempted to scuttle” the IMF deal, she said “it unfortunately still seems like PTI is practising personal politics; the leaked audio calls are a glaring example. The fact that they didn’t deny its contents says it all.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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