Due to the worst floods in the country’s history, more than 1,600 people have died and more than 12,000 have been injured in Pakistan. 13 thousand km of roads were damaged, around 400 bridges were destroyed and around 35 million people have been displaced.
The National Disaster Management Authority says that more than 570 children are among those who died due to the floods. The United Nations agency UNICEF says that 33.3 million people are affected by heavy rains, landslides, and floods in Pakistan, of which 1.6 million are children.
On the other hand, environmental experts say that the sense of injustice has increased due to floods and rains in Pakistan. Pakistan accounts for less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, but Pakistan is among the most vulnerable countries to climate change.
Even in the past, experts said that Pakistan is the third most dangerous country in the world due to climate change, but the government has listened to this from one ear and removed it from the other, which is affecting 3.5 million people today.
After the floods caused by climate change, economic problems, inflation, and unemployment are the major problems in Pakistan, which have broken the backbone of the poor people . If the situation continues, Pakistan may be forced to import additional cotton worth $2.6 billion and wheat worth $900 million.
Across the country, other crops including cotton have been badly damaged. It is possible that Pakistan will also have to lose textile exports worth 1 billion dollars, which may add to the country’s problems. It may take 2 to 3 months for the flood water to recede, which may damage wheat and edible oil crops.
Experts have already warned that if wheat cultivation is delayed, there could be a food crisis in Pakistan, while many farmers have given up on wheat cultivation and are turning to edible oil. If we have to import 15% of the demand of 3 crore tonnes of wheat, our import bill is likely to go up to 1.7 billion dollars during the current financial year.
It is necessary that the current government realizes the needs of the country and pays attention to the problems of the farmers along with the relief of the flood victims so that the wheels of the country’s industries can be prevented from getting stuck and the way to control the increasing unemployment in the country.
