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Floodwaters cover swathes of countryside in Pakistan. The torrential monsoonal rain has seen normally calm rivers break their banks and inundate surrounding fields and villages, affecting between 14 and 20 million people.
Estimates suggest that about a third of the land is covered in water and a bird’s-eye view from helicopters reveals narrow strips of land, patchy hills and rooftops peeking out from the brown watery expanse.
Caritas’ international network supports the most vulnerable people regardless of their religion, ethnicity, culture or gender. Millions of people affected by the flooding were already living in poverty. Now they have even less. Read more »» |
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What did you eat today?
For hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis forced by the floods to abandon their homes, food is a primary concern: some families have gone days without a meal.
IRIN, September 1, 2010
Exodus as floods menace more Pakistan towns
Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing areas of southern Pakistan as rising floodwaters breached more defences and inundated towns. For nearly a month torrential monsoon rains have triggered massive floods, moving steadily from north to south in Pakistan, affecting a fifth of the volatile country and 17 million of its 167 million people.
ABC News/AFP, August 29, 2010
Devastation gives way to disease in Pakistan
For weeks there has been only water – angry, dirty, destructive. Now as the floods recede, leaving vast tracts of rural Pakistan covered in still, shallow ponds, a new threat has emerged: malaria. World Health Organisation experts say malaria cases across at least three Pakistan provinces – Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh – are arriving with alarming speed.
The Australian, August 27, 2010
Pakistan floods: damage and challenges
A month of flooding across Pakistan has left millions of people homeless and devastated thousands of square kilometres of land. While the south battles new floods, in the north workers have begun clearing up as waters recede. The BBC’s M Ilyas Khan assesses the huge task ahead.
BBC News, August 26, 2010
Flood damaged schools lead to education worries
Piles of debris including bricks, bits of wood, concrete and broken household goods are becoming visible throughout flood-ravaged Muzaffargarh District in the southern province of Punjab, as the floodwater begins to recede.
IRIN, August 26, 2010 |
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Pakistan floods the harbinger of a raw, new reality
Extreme weather events will become more common as climate change bites, writes Jo Chandler.
Sydney Morning Herald, August 21, 2010 |
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Reuters Alertnet
Reuters Alertnet, a humanitarian news network run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, aims to keep relief professionals and the wider public up-to-date on humanitarian crises around the globe. Its tagline is “Alerting Humanitarians to Emergencies”. Emergencies can be researched by topic or country; there are picture galleries and also the latest from Non-Government Organisations working in the emergency field. |
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“Understanding Pakistan”
Pakistan was born on August 15, 1947 and when it emerged from British India, Muslims around the world rejoiced, believing they were witnessing the birth of the first democratic Muslim nation. So why has it all gone so wrong? ABC Radio National’s "Rear Vision” program helps us to understand Pakistan. Download the program or listen online. |
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“This disaster is like few the world has ever seen. It requires a response to match. Pakistan needs a flood of support. Yet in the media, we hear talk of so-called ‘fatigue’. There are suggestions that Governments are reluctant to cope with yet another disaster, that they hesitate to contribute more to this part of the world.
“But let us remember: if anyone should be fatigued, it is the ordinary people I met in Pakistan – women, children and small farmers, tired of troubles, conflict and hardship. Instead of fatigue, however, I saw determination, resilience, the hope and expectation that they will not be alone under the darkest of skies.
“When faced with the tsunami, the earthquake in Haiti and other natural disasters, we showed extraordinary humanity. Let us do so again today. Together, let us stand with the people of Pakistan. Let us act so that this natural disaster does not become a man-made catastrophe. Let us give this our all.”
Ban-Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General
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PLEASE NOTE: LINKS TO EXTERNAL WEBSITES ARE NOT NECESSARILY
ENDORSED BY CARITAS AUSTRALIA. |
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Pakistan Appeal
Please watch our short video on Caritas’ response to the floods in Pakistan and share with friends. With your help, we can help. |
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World Humanitarian Day: Invest in disaster preparedness
On World Humanitarian Day Caritas calls for more investment to help people prepare for disasters. Read More »»
Flood in Pakistan: Life between hope and fear
Interview with Thomas Preindl, Caritas Austria: Only a couple of weeks ago, before the floods, Saramina was a normal village. Here, two hours drive north-west from Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, Muslims, Christians and Hindus were living next to each other peacefully. Read more »»
Pakistani Women Cope with Flood’s Aftermath
“We didn’t know the flood was coming. It was night-time and we were asleep in our rooms,” says 43-year-old Rukhtaj, a mother of six. “Some people came and woke us up. They warned us that the water is rising. So we grabbed our children as quickly as possible and ran. Read more»»
Stories from the field:
Sher Ali’s story
When flood waters caused by heavy monsoonal rain surged down the usually calm river beside 14 year old Sher Ali’s home, his house and all his belongings were washed away. Read more »»
Caritasnews magazine: now available online
Download the entire Summer edition of Caritasnews magazine (6Mb PDF) or read it online
WHAT’S ON:
Blueprint for a Better World: Wollongong – 13 to 26 October 2010
Blueprint for a Better World is a travelling multimedia exhibition which gives a practical face to the eight Millennium Development Goals. Click here to find out more
Stand Up, 17–19 September
The major mass mobilisation event this year for Make Poverty History is ‘Stand Up’.
Put this date in your diary and commit to holding an event.
10.10.10, Save the Date
Micah Challenge Australia is calling on churches and Christians around the country to SAVE THE DATE – set aside Sunday 10 October 2010 (10.10.10) to pray, speak and act against poverty as part of a global Micah Challenge initiative.
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Pakistan Floods: A Call for Compassion
