ISLAMABAD: The death toll from torrential rains and floods in Pakistan has exceeded 1,500, authorities said on Thursday, amid the arrival of relief aid flights in the South Asian country.
Pakistan has witnessed unprecedented rains since the onset of monsoon season that triggered massive floods, which have so far killed 1,508 people and washed away livestock, crops, homes and key infrastructure countrywide, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Pakistani officials say the floodwater, particularly in parts of Sindh and Balochistan provinces, could take up to six months to recede, while the losses from floods could run as high as $40 billion.
The National Disaster Management Authority on September 15 reported 22 more deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the total fatalities in the devastating floods since mid-June to 1,508.
Many countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, China, and the United States (US), have been dispatching aid for the 35 million Pakistanis who have been directly affected by the disaster.
“101 International Relief Assistance Flights have landed in #Pakistan to aid in alleviating suffering caused by unprecedented #FloodsInPakistan,” a public diplomacy account run by the Pakistani foreign ministry said on Thursday.
“The help and support extended to the people of Pakistan in this time of need is deeply appreciated.”
The ministry said the UAE had sent 55 relief flights, the US 15, Turkey 13 and four each came from China and Qatar. UNICEF and Saudi Arabia have sent two planeloads of relief aid, while the UK, Nepal, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and France have sent one each. The World Food Program has so far sent three planeloads and UNHCR 13.
Scientists on Thursday said the torrential monsoon that has submerged more than a third of Pakistan was a one in a hundred-year event likely made more intense by climate change.
Across the entire Indus River basin, the scientists found maximum rainfall was about 50 percent heavier during a two-month monsoon period due to climate change, while it was 75 percent more intense in the hardest-hit southern and southwestern regions of Pakistan.
They used 31 computer models in their analysis, combined with real-world observations.
