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Pakistan

Flood Victims in Pakistan Urgently Need Aid

Growing Concerns About Hunger and Diseases Caused by Flooding.

Bonn/Berlin, 2022-08-30. The effects of climate change are more noticeable in Pakistan than ever. After an intense heatwave this spring, unusually heavy monsoon rains and flooding are now destroying the livelihoods of millions of people in Pakistan. So far, rainfall in 2022 has been exceeding the previous year’s average by 200 percent. The UN reports that this affects more than 33 million people, amounting to every seventh resident of Pakistan, with no end to the flooding in sight.

"The extent of this disaster is already many times larger than 2010's once-in-a-century flood---and the rain is not stopping," says Isabel Bogorinsky, Welthungerhilfe's head of program in Pakistan. She continues, "The water is depriving millions of families of their houses, fields, and livelihoods, especially in the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan, which already had to deal with temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius during a heat wave only a few months ago. In the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, large swathes of land are underwater. Weather extremes are once again having the greatest impact on the people who have contributed the least to climate change." Pakistan is especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, as reflected in its recent eighth place ranking in the 2021 edition of the Global Climate Risk Index.

Welthungerhilfe's flood aid has already taken effect. Experienced local partner organizations were able to respond quickly and have started, among other activities, to build emergency shelters, distribute food packages and drinking water, and pump out water in order to prevent the spread of diseases. In addition, seeds and agricultural equipment will be distributed as soon as the floodwaters recede. "The flooding has already destroyed 1.6 million hectares of arable land along with the crops that had been growing there, including grains and fruits. As soon as the water recedes, food production must be restarted to stave off hunger and avoid compounding the crisis," says Isabel Bogorinsky. High rates of inflation have caused prices for staple foods to rise significantly in recent months.

Welthungerhilfe asks for donations to be made for the affected people under the memo: "Flutkatastrophe in Pakistan".

Isabel Bogorinsky, Welthungerhilfe's head of program in Pakistan, is available for interviews in German.

Welthungerhilfe turns 60 this year. It is one of the largest private aid organizations in Germany; politically independent and non-denominational. With courage and determination, it is striving for a world without hunger. Since it was founded on December 14, in 1962, 10,895 overseas projects in about 70 countries have been supported with 4.46 billion euros. Welthungerhilfe works on the principle of help for self-help: from fast disaster relief to reconstruction and long-term development cooperation projects with national and international partner organisations.

Simone PottTeam Communications

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