New Delhi: Latest satellite images from the European Space Agency (ESA) showed the extent of the damage caused by the monsoon-induced floods and revealed that over one-third of Pakistan is underwater.
The images suggest that an overflowing river Indus has created a long lake, up to approximately 10 kilometres wide. An ESA image showcased the extent of flooding that not only devastated the country but also raised alarm for the United Nations (UN).
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified the Pakistan’s floods as an emergency of the highest level, thereby warning of a rapid spread of diseases due to severe shortage of access to medical assistance.
The WHO Chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned of new outbreaks of diarrheal diseases, skin infections, respiratory tract infections, malaria and dengue in the aftermath of the floods. Authorities also fear an impending food shortage as several crops in the country are inundated with thousands of livestock wiped out.
CEO of a UK-based aid coalition, Disasters Emergency Committee, said, “Our priority right now is to help save and protect lives as waters continue to rise. The scale of these floods has caused a shocking level of destruction – crops have been swept away and livestock killed across huge swathes of the country, which means hunger will follow.”
On the other hand, the Pakistan Meteorological Department forecasted that though the monsoons bring heavy downpour, the 2022 monsoons were termed the wettest since the first recorded monsoon in 1961. Meanwhile, torrential rainfall in the neighbouring country is recorded to occur at a rate of 10 times higher than during previous years.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan claimed the floods as worst in the country’s history and said that thousands of houses, agricultural lands, and infrastructure have been washed away so far. The floods claimed more than 1,200 lives and affected over 33 million citizens, including 400 children.
(Avya Mathur)