'Today, it's Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country,' UN chief says in appeal for $160M US in flood aid

The United Nations and Pakistan issued an appeal Tuesday for more than $160million US in emergency funding to help millions affected by record-breaking floods that have killed more than 1,150 people since mid-June.

UNSecretary-General Antonio Guterres said Pakistan's flooding, caused by weeks of unprecedented monsoon rains, was a signal to the world to step up action against climate change.

"Let's stop sleepwalking toward the destruction of our planet by climate change," he said in a video message to an Islamabad ceremony launching the funding appeal. "Today, it's Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country."

More than 33 million people, or one in seven Pakistanis, have been affected by the catastrophic flooding, which has devastated a country already trying to revive a struggling economy. More than onemillion homes have been damaged or destroyed in the past two and a halfmonths, displacing millions of people.

Around a half million of those displaced are living in organized camps, while others have had to find their own shelter.

WATCH | 'We need help' Pakistan devastatedby massive flooding:

Pakistan in desperate need of aid due to disastrous flooding

2 years ago

Duration 3:38

The United Nations says more than $160 million US in emergency aid for Pakistan is needed urgently as the country grapples with catastrophic flooding that's left more than 1,100 people dead. Relief agencies say they have been overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster.

Floods could cost billions

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the floods badly destroyed crops, and his government was considering importing wheat to avoid any shortage of food.

Sharif said Pakistan was witnessing the worst flooding in its history and any inadvertent delay by the international community in helping victims "will be devastating for the people of Pakistan."

He promised funds from the international community would be spent in a transparent manner and that he would ensure all aid reaches those in need. "This is my commitment," he told reporters, saying his country is "facing the toughest moment of its history."

WATCH | Pakistan floods destroy homes, crops and livestock:

Pakistan floods are a 'national calamity' says aid director

2 years ago

Duration 3:49

Pakistan says it has received aid from some countries, and others were dispatching aid too.

On Tuesday, the U.S. government said it would provide $30 million US in assistance to help victims of the flood. According to a statement released by the U.S. Agency for International Development, this aid will be given to Pakistan through USAID. It said the United States is deeply saddened by the devastating loss of life and livelihoods throughout Pakistan.

According to initial government estimates, the devastation caused $10 billion USin damage to the economy.

"It is a preliminary estimate likely to be far greater," Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal toldthe Associated Press. More than 160 bridges and more than 3,400 kilometres of road have been damaged.

Canada announced Monday that it would send $5 million in humanitarian assistance to Pakistan.

Although rains stopped three days ago, large swaths of the country remain underwater, and the main rivers, the Indus and the Swat, are still swollen. The National Disaster Management Authority on Tuesday warned emergency services to be on maximum alert, saying flood waters over the next 24 hours could cause further damage.

Rescuers continued to evacuate stranded people from inundated villages to safer ground. Makeshift tent camps have sprung up along highways.

Meteorologists have warned of more rains in coming weeks.

'Ground zero' for global warming: foreign minister

"The situation is likely to deteriorate even further as heavy rains continue over areas already inundated by more than two months of storms and flooding. For us, this is no less than a national emergency," Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said Tuesday, urging the international community to give generously to the UNappeal.

"Since mid-June, in fact, Pakistan has been battling one of the most severe, totally anomalous cycles of torrential monsoon weather," he said. Rainfall during that time was three times the average, and up to six times higher in some areas, he said.

WATCH | UNICEFrepresentative describes children starving in flooded Pakistan:

UNICEF calls for international aid in Pakistan as it responds to urgent need

2 years ago

Duration 6:04

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund is trying to provide help to distraught families who've lost everything in unprecedented floods. But UNICEF's Pakistan representative, Abdullah Fadil, says it's not enough and he wants the world to help.

The UNflash appeal for $160 million USwill provide food, water, sanitation, health and other forms of aid to some 5.2 million people, Guterres said.

"The scale of needs is rising like the flood waters. It requires the world's collective and prioritized attention," he said.

A day earlier, the International Monetary Fund's executive board approved the release of a much awaited $1.17 billion US for Pakistan.

The funds are part of a $6 billion US bailout agreed on in 2019. The latest tranche had been on hold since earlier this year, when the IMF expressed concern about Pakistan's compliance with the deal's terms under the government of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, whowas ousted through a no-confidence vote in the parliament in April.

Pakistan has risked default as its reserves dwindle and inflation has spiralled, and to get the IMF bailout, the government has had to agree to austerity measures.

LISTEN | Front Burner Pakistan's devastating floods:

Front Burner20:36More than 1,000 dead in calamitous Pakistan floods

Devastating flash floods in Pakistan have submerged one-third of the country, according to its climate minister. Officials say more than 1,100 people have died since monsoon season began in June and an estimated 33 million people have been affected. BBC correspondent Farhat Javed recently visited Manoor Valley in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where locals tossed her a handwritten note asking for help: "We need supplies, we need medicine and please rebuild the bridge, we are left with nothing now."Manoor Valley is just one of many remote regions hit by torrential rain and cut off from the main roads making it difficult for rescue teams to reach. Millions of people are now waiting for food, shelter and clean drinking water. Today on Front Burner, Javed tells us more about what she saw and about the disaster unfolding in a country already dealing with political and economic instability.

The flooding catastrophe, however, adds new burdens to the cash-strapped government.

It also reflects how poorer countries often pay the price for climate change largely caused by more industrialized nations. Since 1959, Pakistan has beenresponsible for only 0.4 per centof the world's historic emissions blamed for climate change. The U.S. has beenresponsible for 21.5 per cent, China for 16.5 per centand the EU 15 per cent.

Several scientists say the record-breaking flooding has all the hallmarks of being affected by climate change.

"This year, Pakistan has received the highest rainfall in at least three decades," said Abid Qaiyum Suleri, executive director of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute and a member of Pakistan's Climate Change Council.

"Extreme weather patterns are turning more frequent in the region and Pakistan is not an exception."