Climate Change Is Happening, And These Images Of Pakistan — One Third Of Which Is Under Water — Prove It
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1.After months of incessant rainfall and flooding, one third of Pakistan is under water, leaving the country and its people in crisis.
One third of Pakistan is underwater. 33 MILLION PEOPLE (1 in 7 Pakistanis) are affected. 2,000 + people so far killed, one third of whom are believed to be children.Please help by donating. #Pakistan 🇵🇰⚠️❤️🙏🏼
2.The flooding, which United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called "a monsoon on steroids," is the latest climate-driven catastrophe faced by Pakistan. Earlier this year, the months between March and May saw record-breaking highs in temperature and a prolonged drought that human-caused climate change made 30 times more likely to occur, as reported by World Weather Attribution.
3.Now, the effects of climate change and global warming are once again on display, and this time, it's on a massive scale.
4.According to Vox, more than 1,130 people have been killed during Pakistan's monsoon season, which started in early June, and the flooding has affected 33 million people and counting.
5.Homes and buildings have been ripped away by roaring tides.
Horrifying footage from S. #Pakistan today of entire building washed away by floods. Over 935 people killed, more than 33 million affected, worst natural disaster for country in decades:
6.And residents stranded on the top of their houses have had to find creative ways to get to safety. In the video below, volunteers can be seen using a bed frame and rope to pull people over swift-moving water.
Heavy rain since June has led to devastating flash floods and hundreds of deaths in Pakistan. People are seen being winched to safety across the water on a bed frame.Latest world news: https://t.co/QC8Psfuitc
7.These temporary pull systems have been used by many to save those trapped by what Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calls "the worst [floods] in the history of Pakistan."
8.Similarly, foot bridges have been used in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province...
9....at a time when "more than 100 bridges and some 3,000 km of roads have been damaged or destroyed," as reported by UN News.
10.Many have compared this major weather event to Pakistan's 2010 super flood, which affected 18 million people and resulted in higher-built bridges — which have been covered by this year's water, contributing to the $10 million in expected damages.
Madyan bridge,KP. Communications ministry informs us that it was built 5 metres above the level of the bridge that went down in the 2010 superflood. Now the water is inundating the bridge. They thought they were building back better by raising it much higher. #PakistanFloods
11.Across Pakistan’s northern region, many waited for hours in boats while army helicopters conducted searches.
12.However, some did not have boats and searched for any higher ground they could find. The photo below shows those in Sindh province waiting to be saved in a tractor.
13.The catastrophic waters wiped out hundreds of acres of critical infrastructure. "People's hopes and dreams have washed away," Guterres said in a video statement.
The worst flood ever in Pakistan happening right now.33 mil people affected.784% above normal rainfall.This video is shocking. Watch the buildings getting taken out. 🔊
14.So far, at least 50,000 people have been evacuated into two government shelters in the country's northwest region. However, many people remained stranded, like those pictured here in the country's southeast.
15.At least half a million homes have been destroyed or damaged, the Pakistan government estimated.
16.One photo taken in the Jaffarabad district of Balochistan province — a highly residential area — shows most of the ground completely submerged.
17.Access to hygiene facilities and clean drinking water are extremely limited, putting more people in danger of getting sick. "Our needs assessment showed that we are already seeing a major increase in cases of diarrhea, skin infections, malaria, and other illnesses," Shabnam Baloch, an official from the International Rescue Committee in Pakistan, said.
18.Some buildings withstood the floods, including a hotel close to the Swat River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The photo below shows workers shovelling out debris from the inside.
19.Officials say Sindh province suffered the most flooding, receiving 466% more rain than the 30-year average.
20.“Most of Sindh is under water. The crops are gone, lives ruined, livelihoods wiped out, roads swept away, houses destroyed or barely standing," Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change, said in a tweet.
21.Many survivors persevered and carried their belongings through waist-deep waters in hopes of salvaging their items.
22.Some families have tried to relieve their homes of water, inspect the damage, and recover personal belongings.
23.As disaster struck, people banded together to ensure the safety of their loved ones. One man stepped up to rescue a cat that was caught in the flooding, as shown in the video below:
Not all heroes wear capes: Rescuer in #Pakistan saves a cat’s life, as country struggles with apocalyptic floods. One third of Pakistan now underwater, > 1,300 killed, entire areas wiped out, millions displaced:
24.At least 380 of the 1,100 people killed were children. An estimated 15% of the nation has been affected by the flooding.
25.The Pakistan government reported that at least 700,000 livestock and 3.6 million acres of agricultural land were washed away, adding more stress to a country that already faces a growing food insecurity problem. Over 20% of the population is undernourished, according to the World Food Programme.
26.As a result of the flooding, nearly half a million people have currently shifted into temporary and makeshift shelters while they await help.
27.On the ground, government officials have begun unloading relief food bags for citizens, and on Tuesday, the US promised to provide $30 million in humanitarian assistance to Pakistan in support of urgent flood relief efforts.
