The summer monsoon rains in Pakistan can be a welcome break from the intense heat of spring, which this year saw record-shattering temperatures reach as high as 123 degrees in some areas. But this season the heavy rains were relentless. By the end of August, one-third of the country was under water.
Experts warn that the devastating floods in Pakistan are a wake-up call alerting the world to the threats posed by the climate emergency. While multiple factors have compounded the disaster, initial scientific analysis reports that climate change likely contributed to this year’s “monster monsoon.” Pakistan is among the countries most at risk due to the impact of extreme weather events.
The catastrophic flooding affected some 33 million people—including many of our staff in Pakistan. Akeela works with Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Dera Murad Jamali, a city in the southwest that was among the areas hardest hit by the flooding. As the waters rose, she had to evacuate from her village along with her parents and younger siblings. One brother and one sister were left behind to take care of the cattle and move the herd to higher ground. But the waters kept rising.
“So many people needed help,” she said. As part of the assessment team, she saw people stranded in makeshift settlements and in villages marooned in a sea of murky water. “I watched as parents crossed the floodwater, seeking treatment for their children,” she said. MSF is running mobile clinics to provide medical care, distributing non-food items, and supplying safe drinking water. We’re concerned about the spread of waterborne and mosquito-borne diseases, including malaria and dengue.