By Paulina Bargnesi
Pakistan has a current population of over 230 million people, and over 33 million of those people have been affected by the floods in Pakistan. Not only is this affecting the people of Pakistan, but also the infrastructure. Homes, buildings, agriculture, and roads have all been destroyed from the floods, with the cost of repair estimated at $30 billion. This will take a long time since authorities believe that it will take six months for the water to recede.
There are two big contributing factors that have caused the floods. First, just a few months ago, Pakistan was going through one of the worst recorded heatwaves in the spring of 2022, which melted the glaciers in Pakistan’s northern mountainous region. The other factor is monsoon rains. In Sindh, Pakistan, the rate of rainfall was eight times higher than average. We’ve been seeing situations like this in the news more frequently because of our failure to stop the climate crisis. The effects of climate change have been happening for a while now, but the upper class makes it seem like it is a faraway issue or not an issue at all. They exploit the planet and people, which in return benefits them monetarily but accelerates climate change.
If you want to help the people of Pakistan you can donate to Humanity & Inclusion, as well as KORT (Kashmir Orphan Relief Trust). Both of these organizations are sending food and other needed necessities to Pakistan. They are in dire need of food right now because 750,000 livestock have been lost and over 2 million acres of crops have been destroyed. If you want to prevent more floods from happening in the future, then donate to the Community Environmental Council, which is working to stop climate change. During election season, make sure to vote for those who believe and will actually take action to stop climate change.
