Half a million homeless after deadly floods leave a third of Pakistan underwater

Nearly half a million people crowded into camps after losing their homes in widespread flooding and the climate minister warned Monday that Pakistan is on the “front line” of the world’s climate crisis, after unprecedented monsoon rains that began in mid-June wracked the country, killing more than 1,130 people.

A third of Pakistan was underwater as a result of flooding caused by record monsoon rains, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said Monday, creating a crisis of «unimaginable proportions».  “It’s all one big ocean, there’s no dry land to pump the water out,” she said.

The rains stopped more than two days ago, and floods in some areas were receding.

But Pakistanis in many parts of the country were still wading through waters that filled their homes or covered their town’s streets as they struggled with how to deal with the damage to homes and businesses.

In one of the worst single incidents of the flooding, at least 11 people were killed Monday when a boat that volunteer rescuers were using to evacuate two dozen people capsized in the flood-swollen waters of the Indus River near the southern city of Bilawal Pur, media reported. An unknown number were still missing from the capsizing.

Cargo planes from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates began the flow of international aid, landing in Islamabad on Sunday with tents, food and other daily necessities. The United Nations will launch an international appeal for Pakistani flood victims on Tuesday 
in Islamabad.
AFP.com, 30 Aug, 2022