This week I met a man who spent four days wandering through neighboring villages in rural Pakistan in search of a box containing his life savings.
He told me how he worked for years to earn this money for his three daughters’ weddings.
Due to the devastating floods that hit the country earlier this week, he lost everything he worked for in one fell swoop, saving his entire life.
The crisis in Pakistan is an international emergency and the people need our urgent help.
As an ambassador for the Islamic Relief charity, when I was asked to help raise awareness of this crisis, I knew I could at least help if I understood the situation between the two countries and their links through the Pakistani diaspora living in the UK. .You should
I am currently in Pakistan participating in a charity that helps those affected. But this is tireless work.
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This is because a third of Pakistan (about the size of the UK) was completely submerged by the flood.
In recent days, I have been visiting villages like Nowshera and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Road to provide emergency assistance by providing clean drinking water and dry goods like lentils, wheat, sugar and many other necessities. .
Every town I visit is in ruins, and every person I meet suffers from a personal tragedy. Each of them is trapped in the unknown, not knowing how to rebuild their lives or how they will rebuild their country.
In areas like Charzada, where the water began to recede, we found families living outside their homes in tents. Even though the water has receded, there is too much dirt and mud to go home.
Flooding since early June has already killed 1,136 people, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. In addition, the United Nations estimates that 33 million people have been affected and more than 1 million homes have been destroyed.
Rainfall up to eight times normal in parts of the country is expected to worsen in the coming days, causing more flooding, outbreaks of waterborne diseases and food shortages in local markets.
There is no doubt that Pakistan is experiencing the worst flooding in living memory.
During my travels, I witnessed firsthand the devastating impact these floods had on families, communities, infrastructure, farmland, and landscapes.
People are literally left with nothing. Their homes have been destroyed, their crops destroyed, they have no clothes to cover their children, no food to feed their families, no access to clean water.
We traveled for hours until we reached a remote village in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.
I knew of a family who had evacuated their home at 2 am when the alert was received. They manage to escape and reach another nearby town. Thirty people are now trapped in two small rooms.
They told me how 30 houses in their village collapsed as a result of the flood. Now they survive on the little people in these remote villages, or on what is provided with the help of charities.
The damage that the flood did to these people happened when they were already suffering. Pakistan is currently facing inflation of up to 25%.
The impact of the floods will exacerbate the situation as almost half of the country’s cotton crop has been washed away and vegetable, fruit and rice fields have been severely damaged. Nearly 800,000 head of cattle were killed and two million hectares of crops and gardens were damaged.
The sad reality is that for some people, this climate catastrophe has become a cycle of life.
I met two women who worked long hours to rebuild their homes after the damage caused by the 2010 floods. They feel like they are back to square one and don’t know how to start over without money.
A visit to the flooded houses reveals 10-foot-high marks on the walls, indicating that the flood has arrived. Many mud houses have been completely destroyed, leaving behind unbearable odors and filth.
I have seen children swim in the water and return home to collect leftovers, but have been warned that this affects the spread of disease through contaminated water.
Despite efforts to clean these areas, it is feared that the disease could spread further due to a lack of proper cleaning agents.
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Therefore, it is important that we use our resources to support the country and help the people of Pakistan.
Yesterday the UK government pledged £15m in aid. This is 10% of the total provided by the United Nations. I welcome the government’s decision to increase the commitment from the original £1.5 million. The UK has close links with Pakistan and the large Pakistani diaspora, with many families living in the two countries.
However, given the level of devastation, I feel that a higher level of support is needed from all governments.
The floods in Pakistan are a direct result of climate change and pose a serious threat to the country. In fact, according to the World Bank, Pakistan will suffer an economic loss of $18 billion over a decade due to climate change.
The flooding was due to worsening weather conditions after months of heat waves with temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius. According to the United Nations, this year’s heat is exacerbating food insecurity and threatening peace and stability.
Pakistan is one of the countries most severely affected by climate change, but Pakistan’s carbon footprint is less than 1% of the world’s, leaving the country to suffer from the irresponsible environmental practices of others. Country.
The impacts of climate change are the result of global inequalities and are exacerbated by environmental disasters like this one. Not only do we urgently need help to help the people of Pakistan, but we urgently need to find long-term solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
While I will continue to call on the UK government for more support and response in responding to the crisis in Pakistan, I am pleased to see local communities, organizations and charities working together to provide support.
Having personally seen the work of Islamic Aid, I welcome the appeal launched by the UK Disasters and Emergencies Committee. In addition, Pakistani Diaspora and other UK-based charities have already raised over £1 million.
All this is very necessary on earth.
A woman expects people like me to come forward to hear her stories and share them with the world, even if the world gives them nothing.
As my short trip to Pakistan comes to an end, I hope I can help these people really rebuild their lives.
The floods in Pakistan are an international humanitarian crisis and I call on the world to respond.
you can donate to help here
Source: Metro
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
