ISLAMABAD (Washington Insider Magazine)– The World Bank announced it will provide Pakistan, which has been devastated by floods that have killed over 1,600 people this year, with around $2 billion in help. This is the biggest amount of aid that has been offered thus far.
Since mid-June, 13,000 people have been affected nationwide due to this year’s record of monsoon rains and flooding, which many scientists link to climate change. In addition to destroying crops, the floods also damaged 500,000 houses, hundreds of kilometers (miles) of highways, and millions of people.
Martin Raiser, vice president of the World Bank for South Asia, made the commitment in an evening statement following the conclusion of his first official trip to the nation on Saturday.
Raiser visited the severely damaged Dadu district while meeting with federal officials and the chief minister of southern Sindh province, which was the most struck.
In the region, where the National Disaster Management Authority said outbreaks of malaria, typhoid, and dengue fever had killed at least 300 people, thousands of improvised medical camps have been put up for flood survivors.
The death toll forced the World Health Organization to issue a “second disaster” alert last week, with medical personnel rushing to contain outbreaks.
Following a discussion with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif last week on the fringes of the U.N. General Assembly, the World Bank decided to give Pakistan $850 million in flood aid. This sum is included in the $2 billion figure, according to ABC NEWS.
Raiser said the bank is collaborating with the provincial government to rebuild homes and infrastructure as soon as possible, reestablish livelihoods, and build Pakistan’s resilience to climate-related hazards.
Pakistan has dispatched around 10,000 doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel to care for survivors in Sindh province during the past two months.
