A POST BY THE KASHF FOUNDATION
Pakistan is experiencing some of the worst flooding it has seen in over 80 years. Entire villages have been washed away, an early estimate of over 1,600 deaths so far and over 2 million displaced or otherwise affected. Not only is the immediate water damage causing havoc, the floods have inundated crop-producing areas, dealing a crippling blow to the agricultural-based economy and threatening a food crisis. The Pakistani government now struggles to rescue and provide aid to millions.
According to United Nations, the number of people suffering could exceed 20 million - more than the combined total of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
It seems that the people from the flood-affected areas have no idea where to go in order to keep themselves safe from the unending devastation. Apart from death toll, thousands of livestock have been died and misplaced in the flash floods and now the survival of live animals is believed to be under threat due to non-availability of fodder. Livestock is not only a major source of earning for rural households but also a primary source of wealth and assets in the long run.
The forecasts, based on studies of other natural disasters such as the Indian Ocean Tsunami, suggest 4.5 million children will be at risk from water-born infections as hundreds of thousands remain beyond the reach of aid agencies.
The scale of this disaster is so large that it is difficult to imagine. Roads, building and crops all washed away. Many have lost family and friends. This disaster is far from over. The rains are still pouring and will continue for weeks. The Pakistani people need help on desperate basis. the people need food, cloth, clean water and medicine on immediate basis.