U.N. chief visits areas of Pakistan devastated by floods By Reuters

By Asif Shahzad

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday visited a number of areas of Pakistan ravaged by floods, as he rounded off a two-day journey aimed toward elevating consciousness of the catastrophe.

Document monsoon rains and glacier soften in northern mountains have triggered floods which have killed greater than 1,391 individuals, sweeping away homes, roads, railway tracks, bridges, livestock and crops.

Enormous areas of the nation are inundated, and a whole lot of hundreds of individuals have been compelled from their properties. The federal government says the lives of almost 33 million have been disrupted. Pakistan estimates the harm at $30 billion, and each the federal government and Guterres have blamed the flooding on local weather change.

The U.N. secretary-general landed in Sindh province on Saturday, earlier than flying over a number of the worst-affected areas en path to Balochistan, one other badly hit province.

“It’s troublesome to not really feel deeply moved to listen to such detailed descriptions of tragedy,” Guterres mentioned after touchdown in Sindh, in line with a video launched by the workplace of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“Pakistan wants huge monetary assist. This isn’t a matter of generosity, it’s a matter of justice.”

A video launched by Info Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed Guterres seated subsequent to Sharif viewing flood-damaged areas from an plane window. “Unimaginable,” Guterres mentioned, surveying the harm.

In July and August, Pakistan acquired 391 mm (15.4 inches) of rain, or almost 190% greater than the 30-year common. The southern province of Sindh has seen 466% extra rain than common.

Guterres mentioned on Saturday the world wanted to know the impression of local weather change on low-income international locations.

“Humanity has been waging conflict on nature and nature strikes again,” he mentioned.

“Nature strikes again in Sindh, however it was not Sindh that has made the emissions of greenhouse gases which have accelerated local weather change so dramatically,” Guterres mentioned. “There’s a very unfair state of affairs relative to the extent of destruction.”