Pakistan minister says West has ‘responsibility’ to help with floods as it’s caused climate change | World News
The planning minister said that richer countries have a “responsibility” to help Pakistan deal with floods and prevent future disasters as they have caused climate change.
More than 1,000 people are believed to have been killed so far and more than a million homes have been damaged.
Monsoon rains in history also have wash away roads, bridges and crops – and planning minister Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan already feel the effects of climate change caused by wealthier nations and their “irresponsible development”.
“Our carbon footprint is the lowest in the world,” said Mr. Iqbal.
“The international community has a responsibility to help us, to upgrade our infrastructure, to make our infrastructure more climate resilient, so that we don’t suffer such damages every three, four, five years”.
He added: “Areas that used to receive rain received no rain and areas that received very light rain received very heavy rainfall.
The cost of disaster recovery is estimated at more than $10 billion (£8.54 billion) and could take around five years, Mr Iqbal said in an interview with Reuters news agency.
However, he said formal requests for financial help will have to wait until the full scale of the damage is clear.
Ahsan Iqbal says richer countries are responsible for Pakistan
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Several countries have sent help: tens of thousands of blankets, tents and waterproof tarpaulins have been sent to China, while Canada has provided $5 million (£4.2 million).
Cargo planes from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates have also begun arriving in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said Pakistan was also considering importing vegetables from its arch-rival India to ease shortages after food prices skyrocketed due to crop failures.
People float their belongings through a flooded area on the outskirts of Peshawar. Photo: AP
Much of the country has been devastated by floods since mid-June, and more than 30 million people have been affected in the country by about 220 million.
There are concerns that the situation could get worse.
Peter Ophoff, from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Sky News: “The windy season should have stopped at the end of July.
“We’re at the end of August now, and we’re still having a lot of rain. A lot of people are thinking we haven’t reached the top.”
Flooding caused damage to homes on the outskirts of Quetta. Photo: AP
He said the flooding was the worst in decades and access was the biggest problem because about 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) of roads had been washed away, as were 160 bridges.
The Queen and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have both issued messages of support, with the monarch saying she is “deeply saddened to hear of the tragic loss of life and devastation”.
Flooding preceded economic problems in Pakistan due to factors such as high inflation and currency devaluation.
