Washington DC, 13 September 2022(TDI): The Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, Masood Khan, briefed the media that the floods in the country are growing more destructive and that the cumulative effects of climate change will be enormous.
Ambassador @Masood__Khan speaking to @trtworld regarding #FloodsInPakistan
💬 ‘It is a very difficult situation. We have disasters within the mega disaster. We have water borne diseases, displaced people, crops and cattle destroyed..’ @epwing_official pic.twitter.com/5kmbAoaAp2— Pakistan Embassy US (@PakinUSA) September 13, 2022
Ambassador Masood Khan shared these thoughts in an interview with the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) on Tuesday.
Remarks by Ambassador Masood Khan
He stated that Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres believed that the total losses and damages will surpass 30 billion USD.
He commended the UN Secretary-General for his visit and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for spearheading the effort to mobilize the Turkish government and society in support of the people of Pakistan who were impacted.
Masood Khan stated that Pakistanis have turned to their inventiveness to cope with the calamity, but that we cannot do it on our own and must therefore appeal to the world community for assistance.
Before the floods, he claimed, Pakistan was already vulnerable due to food insecurity caused by the crisis in Ukraine.
Masood Khan stated that Pakistan would have to make substantial investments in the areas of recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.
He highlighted that the international community, especially affluent nations, and the United Nations, should provide Pakistan with climate assistance.
To prevent future disasters of this nature, the Ambassador stated that the construction industry must be regulated and a better system for water conservation must be implemented.
During the formulation of a future policy for catastrophe resilience, he stated that greater population planning would be required.
US Assistance to Pakistan
The United States through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided an additional $50.1 million in humanitarian aid to the people of Pakistan, in the light of recent floods.
Also read: USAID provides $20 million aid to Pakistan
Furthermore, USAID has also sent a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Pakistan to lead humanitarian response activities. This specialized team made of USAID disaster specialists is surveying the damage, and identifying priority needs in the affected areas
