Pakistan Receives International Aid After Buhari’s Call.
International aid was reaching Pakistan on Monday, as the military and volunteers desperately tried to evacuate many thousands stranded by widespread flooding driven by “monster monsoons” that have claimed more than 1,000 lives this summer, Associated Press reports.
Cargo planes from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates began the international rush to assist the impoverished nation, landing on Sunday in Islamabad carrying tents, food, and other daily necessities. Trucks carrying tents, food, and water arranged by Pakistan were also being dispatched to various parts of the country by the National Disaster Management Authority for tens of thousands of flood victims.
They were among the nations that pledged to help Pakistan tackle the crisis after officials called for international help. Recall also that the Nigerian President had called on the United Nations to send aid to Pakistan over the floods.
Pakistan has been ravaged by exceptionally heavy monsoon rains that triggered flash floods across the country, affecting the lives of 33 million Pakistanis, damaging nearly 1 million homes, and reportedly killing at least 1,061 people.
Pakistani authorities say this year’s devastation is worse than in 2010 when floods killed 1,700 people. Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, the country’s military chief, said Sunday that his country may take years to recover.
Last week, the United Nations in a statement said that it has allocated $3 million for U.N. aid agencies and their partners in Pakistan to respond to the floods and this money will be used for health, nutrition, food security, and water and sanitation services in flood-affected areas, focusing on the most vulnerable.
According to scientists and Sherry Rehman, a Pakistani senator and the country’s climate minister, Pakistan suffered heavier rains this year mainly because of climate change, which also caused fires in forests this year.
Floods have reportedly destroyed more than 150 bridges and numerous roads have been washed away, making rescue operations difficult.
The government has deployed at least 6,500 soldiers to help civilian authorities in rescue and relief operations across the country and promised it would provide housing to all those who lost their homes.
Source | AP
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