In Pakistan, which is plagued by record flooding, the highest alert level was declared on Wednesday and rescue workers are preparing for more rain showers, officials said today. The rain announced for later this week could make the situation even worse – although 33 million people have already been affected by the floods in the South Asian country, and a third of Pakistan is under water.
According to the National Disaster Management Agency, 1,481 people lost their lives. According to official figures, 1.7 million homes were damaged. Numerous roads and 390 bridges were also destroyed by the water bodies. Many people lost not only their homes but also their livelihoods as the flood destroyed their crops and killed their livestock. The World Health Organization (WHO) also warns of infectious diseases that spread in water.
Pakistan has been hit by particularly heavy monsoon rains since mid-June. Prior to that, an unusually early heat wave ravaged the country. Experts blamed the climate crisis for the increase in natural disasters in Pakistan. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called on the world community to take stronger action against climate change in light of the flood disaster.