Pakistan floods - live: More than 1,100 dead as disaster could ‘cost $10bn’

It might take five years to rebuild and rehabilitate the nation, says planning minister

Pakistan flooding death toll passes 1,000 in ‘climate catastrophe’

More than 1,100 people have died in Pakistan’s deadly floods, as the government estimates that the disaster may cost the cash-strapped nation over $10bn.

The UN launched a major appeal on Tuesday seeking to raise $160m in emergency aid for flooding victims, as the first consignments of support started to arrive from Turkey, China, Canada and Qatar.

Pakistan’s planning minister Ahsan Iqbal said the world has an obligation to help the South Asian nation cope with the effects of the man-made climate crisis.

The minister said it might take five years to rebuild and rehabilitate the nation, while in the near term Pakistan will be confronted with acute food shortages.

Unprecedented flash floods caused by historic monsoon rains have washed away roads, crops, infrastructure and bridges in Pakistan affecting more than 33 million, over 15 per cent of the country’s 220 million population.

Almost one-third of the country could be underwater by the end of the monsoon season.

Key Points

• Death toll crosses 1,100 in Pakistan
• Pakistan's deadly floods ‘to cost $10bn’, take 5-year to rebuild, says planning minister
• UN to seek $160 million in emergency aid for Pakistan floods
• Helicopters struggling to find dry spot to land in Pakistan as people await aid
• Third of country under water with half a million forced from homes
• What role did climate change play in Pakistan's fatal flooding

[30 August 2022 09:22 · Stuti Mishra]

Images show the unprecedented scale of disaster in Pakistan

Residential areas entirely inundated, children wading through water and people struggling to get relief supplies, the latest images from Pakistan show the extent of the humanitarian disaster as one-third of the country is feared to be underwater in climate crisis-induced flooding.

A flood affected man walks over his collapsed mud house after heavy monsoon rains in Jaffarabad district, Balochistan ( Getty Images)

Aerial view shows a flooded residential area after heavy monsoon rains in Balochistan (Getty Images)

Flood affected people stand in a long line with utensils to get food distributed by Pakistani Army troops in a flood-hit area in Rajanpur, district of Punjab, Pakistan (AP)

Newborn baby Yasmeem sleeps on a cot at her flood-damaged house on the outskirts of Sukkur, Sindh province (Getty Images)

Displaced people scuffle to receive relief food box from a government official in a flood hit area following heavy monsoon rains in Sukkur, Sindh (Getty Images)

Children use a raft to make their way in a flooded area after heavy monsoon rains on the outskirts of Sukkur, Sindh province, on August 27, 2022 (Getty Images)

[30 August 2022 10:00 · Stuti Mishra]

Stranded family saved after sliding on bed frame across water

A video shows a flood-affected family tying a bed frame to some rope so they could slide across the murky water below in Pakistan as a large number of houses are inundated in historic floods.

Miraculously, their plan seems to work and they reach the other side where there are many more people waiting.

[30 August 2022 10:30 · Stuti Mishra]

Analysis: Why South Asian nations need to demand more climate finance in the upcoming Cop27 summit

Pakistan is the fourth country to face massive flooding this season affecting millions of people, and third to see it at an unprecedented scale as climate crisis increases the severity and frequency of extreme weather events.

While this is true for the entire planet, South Asia is especially vulnerable to more damage due in the coming years.

As the world gears up for the next UN climate summit, calls for climate finance and loss and damage fund are set to grow from South Asian countries devastated by back to back extreme weather events in recent months.

[30 August 2022 11:00 · Stuti Mishra]

UN to seek $160 million in emergency aid for Pakistan floods

The United Nations and Pakistan are set to appeal for $160 million in emergency funding today for nearly a half million displaced victims of record-breaking floods that have killed more than 1,150 people since mid-June, officials said.

Pakistani authorities backed by the military, rescuers and volunteers have been battling the aftermath of the floods that have affected more than 33 million people, or one in seven Pakistanis.

Last week, the United Nations in a statement said it has allocated $3 million for U.N. aid agencies and their partners in Pakistan to respond to the floods.

[30 August 2022 12:03 · Stuti Mishra]

Death toll crosses 1,100 in Pakistan

The death toll from the devastating floods in Pakistan reached 1,136 in the last 24 hours with another 1,634 injured, according to the latest data issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

The increased tally comes as rains have stopped in some areas of Pakistan but the water levels remain dangerously high with millions of houses damaged or inundated.

Aid also began arriving in the country from Monday but relief workers are struggling to get in touch with the victims as large swathes of land are entirely covered in water and transport infrastructure is severely impacted.

[30 August 2022 12:30 · Stuti Mishra]

Pakistan facing 'monsoon on steroids', says UN chief in funding appeal

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres has released a video message launching an appeal for a $160 million fund for victims of Pakistan’s historic floods.

Mr Guterres described the deadly deluge in Pakistan as a “monsoon on steroids” as the country faces unprecedented damage from climate crisis-induced floods.

“The Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids -- the relentless impact of epochal levels of rain and flooding,” Mr Guterres said in a video message released in Islamabad and Geneva simultaneously.

He added the scale of needs, with millions of people forced from their homes, schools and health facilities destroyed and livelihoods shattered by the climate catastrophe, required the world’s collective and prioritised attention.

Underlining the vulnerability of South Asia, the UN chief said: “South Asia is one of the world’s global climate crisis hotspots.”

“People living in these hotspots are 15 times more likely to die from climate impacts.”

[30 August 2022 13:00 · Stuti Mishra]

Full story: Today it’s Pakistan, tomorrow it could be your country, warns UN chief

Launching an appeal for Pakistan a while ago, UN chief Antonio Guterres described the deadly deluge as a “climate catastrophe” and asked the world to provide “collective and prioritised attention” to the country.

“It is outrageous that climate action is being put on the back burner as global emissions of greenhouse gases are still rising, putting all of us – everywhere – in growing danger,” he said.

“Let’s stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our planet by climate change.”

“Today, it’s Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country.”

Here are the full remarks from the UN chief and the latest on Pakistan floods from Saphora Smith: