Pakistan floods: Appeal for assistance for 119 more deaths in one day

 

Pakistan is appealing for further international aid as floods ravaged the country, leaving people searching for higher, drier plains.

The National Disaster Management Authority says that with the death of 119 people in the last 24 hours, the death toll due to monsoon rains has reached 1,033.

Officials say the US, UK, UAE and others have contributed to the disaster appeal, but more funding is needed.

He said that the government of Pakistan is providing all possible help.

Speaking to the BBC, Interior Ministry official Salman Sufi said the country is desperate for international support.

"Pakistan is grappling with economic issues, but now that we were about to overcome them, the monsoon disaster struck," he said.

He said that funds have been given to the people affected by many development projects.

Displaced people who fled their homes in Karachi province wait for aid

In the country's northwest, thousands of people fled their homes after rivers burst in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, causing powerful flash floods.

Junaid Khan, 23, told AFP news agency: "The house we built after years of hard work began to sink in front of our eyes." "We sat by the side of the road and watched our dream house sink."

Sindh province in the country's southeast has also been badly affected, with thousands displaced from their homes.

No food came here

Pumza Fihlani, BBC News, Sindhi

There were  displaced people in all the villages in Sindh that we passed.

The full scale of the devastation in the province is not yet fully understood, but people on the ground describe it as the biggest disaster ever.

Floods are not uncommon in Pakistan but people here tell us that these rains were different. They were more than anything that has ever been seen here. A local official described them as "a flood of biblical proportions".

Near the town of Larkana, thousands of mud houses have been submerged in water, and all that is visible for miles is treetops.

Where the water level is slightly lower, thatched roofs emerge from under dangerous water.

The needs of survivors are diverse. In one village we visit, people sitting there are desperate for food. In another they say that they have got their grain, but they need money to meet their other needs.

We visit a place where many children have developed waterborne diseases. A mobile truck moves forward and the score immediately rushes towards it. Children stand in long queues with other children.

A 12-year-old girl says that she and her younger sister have not eaten anything in a day. "There's no food here. But my sister is sick, she's vomiting, I hope they can help."

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Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that 33 million people have been affected by the floods - about 15% of the country's population.

He said the damage caused by floods this season can be compared to the 2010-11 floods, which are the worst on record.

The country's officials blame climate change for the devastation.

But poor local government planning has exacerbated the effect in the past, often building buildings in seasonally flooded areas.