Karachi: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday he had “never seen climate carnage” on such a scale as he visited parts of Pakistan They are blaming rich countries for the devastation caused by the floods.
About 1,400 people have died in floods that cover an area the size of the United Kingdom and have destroyed crops and destroyed homes, businesses, roads and bridges.
According to the government’s Flood Relief Centre, Guterres has said he hopes his visit will provide support to Pakistan, which has put the temporary cost of the disaster at more than $30 billion.
“I have seen many humanitarian disasters in the world, but I have never seen a climate carnage of this scale,” he told a news conference in the port city of Karachi, after seeing the most damage in southern Pakistan.
“I have no words to describe what I saw today.”
Pakistan receives heavy – often destructive – rains during its annual monsoon season, which is important for agriculture and water supply.
But rain this year hasn’t been as intense as it has seen in decades, while rapidly melting glaciers in the north have been pressing waterways for months.
“Wealthy countries are morally responsible for helping developing countries like Pakistan recover from such disasters, and adapt to building resilience to climate impacts that will unfortunately be repeated in the future,” Guterres said. Saying that G20 nations cause 80 percent of today’s. emissions.
Pakistan accounts for less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but ranks eighth on a list compiled by non-governmental organization Germanwatch as most vulnerable to extreme weather caused by climate change.
About 33 million people have been affected by the floods, which have destroyed nearly two million homes and business premises, washed away 7,000 kilometers (4,300 mi) of roads and destroyed 500 bridges.
Guterres laments that the world has not paid attention to climate change, especially to industrialized countries.
“This is madness, this is mass suicide,” he said after reaching Pakistan on Friday.
The torrential rains have had a two-fold effect – devastating flash floods in rivers in the mountainous north, and slow accumulation of water in the southern plains.
“All children, men and women, are frying in this scorching heat. We have nothing to eat, we don’t have a roof over our heads.” rosina solangi30 year old housewife living in a nearby displacement camp sukkurtold AFP on Friday.
“He should do something for our poor,” he said of the visit of the UN chief.
The Meteorological Department said that Pakistan has received five times more rain than normal in 2022. padidanA small town in Sindh province has drenched more than 1.8 meters (71 in) since the monsoon began in June.
Water levels have reached very high in areas where rivers and lakes have breached their banks, creating dramatic inland seas.
Thousands of temporary camps have sprung up on the slopes of higher ground to the south and west – often roads and railway tracks in a watery landscape.
Due to the close association of people and animals, the camps are ripe for outbreaks of disease, with several cases of mosquito-borne dengue as well as cases of scabies.
During his quick tour, Guterres stayed in some of these makeshift camps and met desperate flood victims, including a woman who gave birth overnight.
Wearing an ajrak shawl with a traditional Sindhi block print, he later inspected the 4,500-year-old. UNESCO Mohenjo-daro, a world heritage site, which has suffered water damage from incessant monsoon rains.
About 1,400 people have died in floods that cover an area the size of the United Kingdom and have destroyed crops and destroyed homes, businesses, roads and bridges.
According to the government’s Flood Relief Centre, Guterres has said he hopes his visit will provide support to Pakistan, which has put the temporary cost of the disaster at more than $30 billion.
“I have seen many humanitarian disasters in the world, but I have never seen a climate carnage of this scale,” he told a news conference in the port city of Karachi, after seeing the most damage in southern Pakistan.
“I have no words to describe what I saw today.”
Pakistan receives heavy – often destructive – rains during its annual monsoon season, which is important for agriculture and water supply.
But rain this year hasn’t been as intense as it has seen in decades, while rapidly melting glaciers in the north have been pressing waterways for months.
“Wealthy countries are morally responsible for helping developing countries like Pakistan recover from such disasters, and adapt to building resilience to climate impacts that will unfortunately be repeated in the future,” Guterres said. Saying that G20 nations cause 80 percent of today’s. emissions.
Pakistan accounts for less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but ranks eighth on a list compiled by non-governmental organization Germanwatch as most vulnerable to extreme weather caused by climate change.
About 33 million people have been affected by the floods, which have destroyed nearly two million homes and business premises, washed away 7,000 kilometers (4,300 mi) of roads and destroyed 500 bridges.
Guterres laments that the world has not paid attention to climate change, especially to industrialized countries.
“This is madness, this is mass suicide,” he said after reaching Pakistan on Friday.
The torrential rains have had a two-fold effect – devastating flash floods in rivers in the mountainous north, and slow accumulation of water in the southern plains.
“All children, men and women, are frying in this scorching heat. We have nothing to eat, we don’t have a roof over our heads.” rosina solangi30 year old housewife living in a nearby displacement camp sukkurtold AFP on Friday.
“He should do something for our poor,” he said of the visit of the UN chief.
The Meteorological Department said that Pakistan has received five times more rain than normal in 2022. padidanA small town in Sindh province has drenched more than 1.8 meters (71 in) since the monsoon began in June.
Water levels have reached very high in areas where rivers and lakes have breached their banks, creating dramatic inland seas.
Thousands of temporary camps have sprung up on the slopes of higher ground to the south and west – often roads and railway tracks in a watery landscape.
Due to the close association of people and animals, the camps are ripe for outbreaks of disease, with several cases of mosquito-borne dengue as well as cases of scabies.
During his quick tour, Guterres stayed in some of these makeshift camps and met desperate flood victims, including a woman who gave birth overnight.
Wearing an ajrak shawl with a traditional Sindhi block print, he later inspected the 4,500-year-old. UNESCO Mohenjo-daro, a world heritage site, which has suffered water damage from incessant monsoon rains.