Cyclone Yemyin has left the nation of Pakistan reeling from the massive floods that it has caused. Already the Pakistan flood of 2010 is confirmed to have claimed over 1000 lives, and the full toll is sure to be many times more than that. Over 1500 tourists have been left stranded in the Swat region, and across Pakistan millions are in urgent need of assistance.
The scene in Lahore
The Swat valley region was recently plagued by violence and unrest. Despite this trouble it remains one of the most popular Pakistani regions among tourists. Located in the Hindu Kush mountain range it is an area of incredible natural beauty. The infrastructure of the region has been totally devastated, nearly all bridges in the region have been destroyed leaving somewhere in the region of 1500 visitors trapped.
The scale of the floods is truly shocking as is the scale of the humanitarian disaster. Across large areas of Pakistan the effects of the flooding have proved massively destructive. In addition to the ever increasing number of people known to have perished, there is already known to be in excess of 1.5 million Pakistanis in urgent need of assistance.
The problems facing the people of Pakistan after this flooding are numerous and varied. Most pressingly there are people stranded by flood waters who must be rescued. Food and water are in terribly short supply. Cholera and other diseases are posing a deadly threat to survivors, many of whom are finding that their wells have been contaminated.In the long term both infrastructure and peoples livelihoods will have to be pieced back together again.
Though military efforts are underway to drop supplies, the military of Pakistan even with the help of US forces are unlikely to do enough on their own. In the short term international aid organisations and charities will be very much needed to get help out to those that need it. Oxfam have launched an international appeal to raise funds for their efforts and are urging people to make Pakistan flood donations.
minority scholarship
Aug 7th, 2010nice post. thanks.
wendy brown
Sep 19th, 2011why can’t some of the world’s super rich donate a bit more money to this cause? I mean how many superyachts do you need in life?
wendy brown recently posted..UK Student Tuition Fees Are Third Highest Worldwide
nasreen
Oct 20th, 2011We live in London and I have to say the response to the humanitarian crisis here was disappointing. Even collecting outside Marks and Spencer for this worthy cause was met with a muted response from the public in general I feel.