{"id":68140,"date":"2025-09-16T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/the-needs-are-huge-pakistan-reels-from-floods-as-millions-left-homeless\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T12:00:00","slug":"the-needs-are-huge-pakistan-reels-from-floods-as-millions-left-homeless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=68140","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The needs are huge\u2019: Pakistan reels from floods as millions left homeless"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

More than six million people have been affected since the unusually heavy monsoon rains began in late June, with nearly 1,000 lives lost \u2013 250 of them children. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Around 2.5 million people have been displaced, many sheltering in Government-run camps or with host families who are already stretched to their limit.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the field, we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg,<\/strong>\u201d Carlos Geha, head of the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) in Pakistan told UN News from Islamabad.<\/p>\n

He added that many displaced families have yet to return home and may find their houses and livelihoods wiped out when water levels finally recede.<\/p>\n

Pakistan\u2019s breadbasket underwater<\/h2>\n

Exacerbating the monsoon deluge, riverine flooding has inundated large parts of Punjab province \u2013 Pakistan\u2019s food basket \u2013 where over 4.7 million people have been impacted after India released water from upstream dams, leading to rivers bursting their banks. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Indian authorities had informed Pakistan ahead of the release, which was triggered by massive rains that caused rivers in northern India to overflow.<\/p>\n

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1.6 million people have been affected, while flash floods triggered by glacial lake overflows have devastated parts of Gilgit-Baltistan, cutting off entire valleys. Sindh province remains on high alert for potential \u201csuper floods.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Government has done a tremendous job evacuating 2.5 million people, something we did not see in 2022,\u201d said Mr. Geha, recalling the devastating floods that killed over 1,700 people and caused an estimated $40 billion in economic losses.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut when water levels reach 25 feet, swallowing whole villages, there is little anyone can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

Aerial view showing the devastation caused by the floods in Jhang District in Punjab \u2013 Pakistan’s most populous province. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Crops gone, infrastructure lost<\/h2>\n

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reports that more than 8,400 houses, 239 bridges and nearly 700 kilometres of roads have been damaged or destroyed. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Over 2.2 million hectares of cropland \u2013 much of it in Punjab \u2013 lie under water, wiping out harvests and pushing food prices higher. Wheat flour prices alone rose 25 percent in the first week of September.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are farming families who feed the nation,<\/strong>\u201d Mr. Geha said. \u201cNow their land is submerged, their animals are gone, and they are left with nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Relief efforts under strain<\/h2>\n

The UN and its partners are struggling to match the scale of the disaster. OCHA has released $5 million from the UN\u2019s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), with an additional $1.5 million channeled to local NGOs. \u00a0<\/p>\n

UNICEF, WFP and other agencies are trucking safe water, providing health and nutrition supplies, and setting up temporary learning centers for children.<\/p>\n

Yet aid workers warn that this is far from enough. Many communities remain cut off by collapsed bridges and submerged roads, with food and medicines reaching them only by boat or helicopter. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Waterborne diseases such as malaria and dengue are already on the rise, with fears of cholera outbreaks in the weeks ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe immediate needs are food, healthcare, shelter, water and sanitation,\u201d said Mr. Geha. \u201cBut the next phase will be even more difficult \u2013 helping millions of people stand back on their feet after losing everything.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"A\n<\/div>\n

A UNICEF staff member distributes hygiene kits and water purification tablets to flood affected families in Jhang district, Punjab.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A call for solidarity<\/h2>\n

Pakistan has endured repeated climate disasters in recent years, from the record-breaking 2022 floods to heatwaves and drought. Humanitarians warn that each shock pushes already vulnerable families further into poverty.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not Pakistan\u2019s fault \u2013 it is one of the countries most exposed to climate change,\u201d Mr. Geha emphasised.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe international community must stand with Pakistan not just in this emergency, but in helping to rebuild resilience and restore livelihoods for the long term.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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