Climate Change Minister Senator Sherry Rehman on Monday said that the World Bank has estimated a loss of $40 billion to Pakistan’s economy as a result of the damage caused by recent cataclysmic floods.
Taking to Twitter, Senator Rehman said that Pakistan has appealed to the estimated damage to the infrastructure, crops, houses and roads is much higher. She added that the World Bank report suggests that about nine million Pakistanis will be forced into poverty due to the floods. Speaking about the water-borne diseases being spread in the flood-hit areas of Pakistan, the minister said that the health crisis in the country is now intensifying. She continued to say that the government has to work on the rehabilitation of the flood affectees and their return to their areas. The PPP leader urged the international community to help the victims during the humanitarian crisis. Sherry Rehman said that recent floods in the country were the biggest tragedy after 1971 when the country lost its eastern part. There is no environment of business as usual in the country said the minister adding the recent floods in Pakistan were the record breaking in the world.
She said 33 million people were affected in the floods and 20 million people still had no availability of basic necessities and the sufferings of the people were continued. The minister said that during the recent monsoon 700 percent more rains were recorded in Sindh and 600 percent more rains were recorded in Balochistan.
Senator Sherry said that 13,000 kilometer of roads and 36 bridges were completely destroyed which needed to be restored on urgent basis for connectivity. She criticized the opposition for carrying out public rallies and doing politics at the time when country needed unity the most. “You should be ashamed, when the countrymen are suffering, you are taking oath from your followers like Hitler for staging protest and long march,” the minister said.
Responding to the climate minister’s statement, leader of the opposition Senator Shahzad Wasim said that Sindh was sinking not because of climate change but corruption of Sindh Government. He said his party leader Imran Khan was holding telethon and collecting funds/donations for poor flood affectees. He said entire world has come to Pakistan after floods to support people but the government had flown out of the country.