Reporters
Climate change leaves Pakistan underwater
Issued on: 11/11/2022 – 12:57
REPORTERS17:33
REPORTERS © FRANCE 24
By:
Sonia GHEZALI
|
Shahzaib WAHLAH
2 min
Despite being responsible for less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan is among the countries worst affected by extreme weather events due to climate change. This summer, it was hit by torrential rains during what the UN chief called “a monsoon on steroids”. In just a few weeks, a third of Pakistan was submerged. Some 1,700 people were killed and two million houses were destroyed. In total, 33 million people were affected by the flooding, or 1 in 7 inhabitants. FRANCE 24’s Shahzaib Wahlah and Sonia Ghezali report, with the collaboration of Sameer Mandhro.
Pakistan is no stranger to climate disasters. Back in 2010, the country already had to deal with massive floods. Accused of a lack of foresight this year, the Pakistani authorities admitted to being overwhelmed by the scale of the climate disasters that have hit the country amid a serious economic crisis. Islamabad is now asking rich nations to account for their actions. The subject of “loss and damage” is at the centre of discussions at the COP27 climate change conference currently taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Pakistan underwater
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Pakistani relief workers continue to intervene in the disaster-hit areas to bring food aid.
Some villages are still underwater.
A traditional tea shop in the town of Gozo.
Punal, a father of four who lost almost everything in the floods, now works in the traditional tea shop.
Food distribution takes place every week in the disaster-stricken town of Gozo.
Javed Hussain, director of the NGO Sindh Community Foundation, raises awareness of the issue of global warming among women who harvest cotton in the village of Tara.
Punal working in the traditional tea shop.
Trees are covered in cobwebs in the villages surrounded by stagnant water.
Many hectares of fields were destroyed in the floods.
Pakistani relief workers continue to intervene in the disaster-hit areas to bring food aid. © FRANCE 24 / Sonia Ghezali
