International aid reached Pakistan 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 1,061 lives this summer.
Cargo planes from Türkiye 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. The United Nations will launch an international appeal for Pakistani flood victims on Tuesday in Islamabad.
Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif on Monday said the rains are the heaviest Pakistan has seen in three decades.
"I saw floodwater everywhere, wherever I went in recent days and even today,” Sharif said in Charsadda, one of the devastated towns. He said the planes carrying aid from some countries have already reached Pakistan, and he predicted more.
Sharif has said the government would provide housing to all those who lost their homes.
The exceptionally heavy monsoon rains that triggered flash floods across the country have affected 33 million Pakistanis, damaged nearly 1 million homes and killed at least 1,061 people.
Most of the deaths were reported from northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southern Sindh provinces, which have been badly hit by the flooding, the country's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.
Over 1,527 people have been injured in the rain and flood-related mishaps, the authority said, adding over 719,000 livestock animals were also lost.
Over 3,451 kilometers of roads, 149 bridges, 170 shops, and 949,858 houses were also damaged across the country since June 14.
Rescue workers backed by army troops scrambled across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to rescue hundreds of marooned people as southern Sindh province expects another spell of floods from the Indus River within the next couple of days.
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. He appealed to Pakistanis living abroad to generously donate to the flood victims.
Floods and rains have caused devastation in Pakistan at a time when the country is facing one of the worst economic crises. Pakistan says it recently narrowly avoided a default, and later Monday IMF's executive board was expected to approve the release of the much-awaited $1.7 billion for this Islamic nation.
Pakistan and the IMF originally signed the bailout accord in 2019. But the release of a $1.7 billion tranche has been on hold since earlier this year, when the IMF expressed concern about Pakistan’s compliance with the deal’s terms under former Prime Minister Imran Khan's government.
Khan was also expected to launch a fundraising campaign Monday evening for flood victims.
Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's climate minister, has described the unusual rainfall as a "monster monsoon." She says Pakistan suffered heavier rains this year mainly because of climate change, which also caused fire in forests.
