An urgent appeal has been launched by the Disasters Emergency Committee for donations in Pakistan, where at least 1,000 people have been killed by floods described as the worst in the country’s history.
“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,” said the DEC’s chief executive, Saleh Saeed.
“DEC charities are doing all they can, but donations from the British public will make a huge difference in enabling them to reach more people,” he added. “We’re urging everyone to give whatever they can at what we appreciate is a difficult time for us all.”
Pakistan is the eighth most at-risk country globally from the impacts of climate change.
The floods, caused by heavy monsoon rains, have devastated three-quarters of Pakistan’s districts, affecting an estimated 33 million people and leaving more than 6 million in desperate need of humanitarian aid.
Rescuers are struggling to reach entire villages that have been cut off by flood water. Hundreds of health facilities have been damaged and bridges, roads, schools, crops and houses destroyed.
Even as the UK government pledged up to £1.5m of financial aid to assist with the immediate aftermath of the floods, British charities and Pakistani diaspora groups have stepped in to raise more than £1,500,000 in the past few days.
Aleena Khan and Fatima Asfandyar, two Pakistani women living in London, began fundraising on Instagram, after they became concerned for family members living in north-western Pakistan, where flooding from the Swat River has affected tens of thousands of people.
“In less than a week we have received over £10,000 in donations from over 100 individuals from across the world, outside of Pakistan,” said Khan, who has been working with a team of Red Crescent Society volunteers in Islamabad. Khan said their efforts had reached hundreds of families so far.
“Fatima and I are relieved to hear that there is a DEC appeal launched and hope the UK will donate to that generously too, but the utter lack of initial coverage has been disheartening and we are glad we took rapid action,” Khan said.
The disaster comes at an uncertain time for Pakistan, which is experiencing political and economic turmoil before and since Imran Khan’s departure as prime minister.
After the Pakistani government’s request for international aid, on Tuesday the UN announced a $160m (£139m) emergency plan. On Wednesday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization chief, announced the release of $10m to support health facilities and prevent the spread of malaria, dengue fever and other water-borne diseases.
The scale of the flooding has pushed several high-profile British-Pakistani politicians to appeal for donations.
Naz Shah, the MP for Bradford West, recently travelled to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to help distribute essential food items with Islamic Relief, a member charity of DEC that has so far raised more than £1m.
In a video posted on her Twitter account, Shah, who stands in front of a maize field deluged with muddy water, said the 2010 floods, which killed at least 2,000 people and left millions homeless, were “minute” by comparison.
“There’s [a] man who’s been wandering the streets, and has for five days been searching for a box. And in that box was his life savings for three of his daughters’ weddings,” Shah said.
“There are people here who are searching for their loved ones with no hope of them returning, because they’ve just been washed away.”
Writing on Twitter on Wednesday, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, urged the government and others to “step forward” and provide immediate life-saving aid and long-term assistance.
“My thoughts are with all those across Pakistan & the many Londoners who will be very worried about their friends & family,” Khan tweeted.
The DEC appeal will be broadcast on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky on Thursday after the evening news.
