In late August 2022, unprecedented torrential rains and flash flooding worsened an already fragile situation in Pakistan, one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change.
Over 33 million people have been affected by these devastating monsoon floods, leaving 7.9 million people displaced, of whom nearly 600,000 are now living in relief sites. An estimated 1,700 people lost their lives and 12,867 were injured, including 4,000 children.
As of October 4, 2022, 14.6 million people require emergency food assistance and 6.4 million people remain in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, while 767,488 houses have been destroyed and over 1,277,000 remain damaged.
The country was already one of the largest refugee hosting countries in the world, with 1.3 million refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from Afghanistan (September 2022). Among the so-called calamity hit districts – districts that were hit the most by this natural disaster – there are also 4 districts hosting over 800,000 refugees.
On October 4, 2022, the UN launched a Floods Response Plan to assist the government in addressing the emergency in the upcoming months.
Pakistani Bishops called for solidarity and humanitarian support, while the Holy Father expressed his closeness to the people of the country affected by the “floods of disastrous proportions”, ensuring his prayers for “the numerous victims, for the wounded and those forced from their homes, and that international solidarity may be prompt and generous.”
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