LAHORE: Coordinator to Federal Tax Ombudsman Meher Kashif Younis Sunday warned that real disaster may emerge after receding waters in flood-hit areas, therefore Pakistan needs massive financial support from the international community to help the flood affected people return to normal lives.
Speaking at a seminar on “Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in flooded Areas of Pakistan” organized by the college of Earth and Environmental Sciences Punjab University, he said that during his visit to Sindh province earlier this month, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres had said that he had never seen such “climate carnage”, and also warned of more such disasters in future. He said, as Guterres had pointed out, that makes massive financial support for Pakistan a matter of justice, not generosity. So far, other governments have pledged only a tiny proportion of the estimated $30bn needed for recovery in a country already in dire economic straits, he said and added that they must do better in funding reconstruction as they must do more in tackling their carbon emissions, and funding vulnerable countries to prepare for future disasters.
He said a study by an international team of climate scientists has found that the intense rainfall was made worse by global heating. This year alone, the country had already experienced a gruelling heatwave, wildfires and drought. He said climate catastrophes will be disproportionately experienced by developing countries, which have made a minimal contribution to global heating. -He said, the World Health Organization warned of a “second disaster” as waterborne diseases and other illnesses spread by the disruption soar.
He said the displaced, now living in makeshift camps, face rising levels of dengue fever, malaria and diarrhea. Beyond that immediate threat lie the challenges of housing and feeding people. He said, In all, 33 million people in Pakistan is equivalent to half the population of the UK have been affected. He said international experts say it will take months for the waters to fully drain from Sindh, the hardest-hit province. Agricultural land has been devastated, and huge quantities of livestock lost. Roads and railway lines have been washed away he added.
