KARACHI: Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman on Saturday called for international help for people of Sindh, who were still suffering due to unprecedented rains and flash floods.

Addressing a press conference here in Sindh Assembly building, the federal minister questioned as to how can a government under heavy debts helped its people. She said that it was the hour of test for the world.

She said that the welfare and relief of the flood-devastated people was the priority of her party, the Pakistan Peoples Party.

“The affected people are being helped through Benazir Income Support Programme,” she said.

She mentioned over 33 million people had been affected in the floods, and added: “Over 26 million people are still affected in the country and this is equal to the population of three European countries.”

Ms Rehman said that many countries had provided aid for the flood victims, but the needs of the people were not met so far. The minister said that she went to Geneva to discuss climate change and the UN Secretary General and European Union admitted that they had not seen such destruction before.

The federal minister said that the floods had killed a sizeable number of livestock and destroyed crops on vast lands. “The people are concerned what will happen to them,” she said.

She said that the floods had destroyed over 1,400 heal­thcare centres, while there were 8.2pc pregnant women in the flood-affected areas.

She highlighted that more than 13,000 highways and 400 bridges were washed away in the calamity.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2022