Devastating monsoon rains wreak havoc in Pakistan. 33 million people are displaced as a result of the tremendous amounts of water. The country’s authorities declared a national state of emergency yesterday. Many die every day 1,000 people have died and several thousand others have been injured since the monsoon rains started in June. Today alone, 45 people have lost their lives in connection with the flood, according to the authorities. The government compares the flood disaster to that of 2010, the worst flood year ever recorded in Pakistan. 2,000 people lost their lives at the time and almost a fifth of the country was under water. A man receives food from the Pakistani military in a flood-affected area in Rajanpur, in the Punjab district of Pakistan. Photo: Asim Tanveer / AP Struggling to evacuate Many parts of Pakistan have become completely inaccessible, and rescue teams are struggling to evacuate thousands of stranded people from flood-affected areas, writes The Guardian. Baluchistan and Sindh provinces are the worst affected areas. Videos shared on social media show bridges, roads and hotels sinking into water and mud and people running to evacuate their homes. A man and a boy wade through a flooded area in Jaffarabad in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province on Friday, August 26. Photo: Zahid Hussain / AP One of the most vulnerable countries Pakistan’s annual monsoon is crucial for watering crops and replenishing dams and lakes, but each year it also brings a wave of destruction. In addition, experts point to climate change as a possible scapegoat, writes NTB. Flood-affected people stand in long queues to receive food distributed by the military. Photo: Asim Tanveer / AP Pakistan is number eight on the Global Climate Risk Index, a list of the countries most vulnerable to extreme weather caused by climate change. Corruption, poor urban planning and breaches of local regulations also mean that thousands of buildings have been built in areas particularly prone to seasonal flooding. Soldiers distribute food to people displaced by the flood. Photo: Asim Tanveer / AP
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33 million people displaced by floods – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
