Pak appeals for international assistance after floods wreaked havoc

Islamabad, Aug 28 (IANS) Pakistan is appealing for further international assistance after floods wreaked havoc across the country, BBC reported.The US, UK, UAE and others have contributed to a monsoon disaster appeal, but much more funds are needed, an interior ministry official told the BBC.More than 1,000 people have died and millions have been displaced since June, Salman Sufi said.He said Pakistan's government was doing everything in its power to help the people.In the north-west of the country, thousands of people fled their homes after rivers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province burst their banks, causing powerful flash floods, BBC reported.The province of Sindh in the south-east of the country has also been badly affected, with thousands displaced from their homes.Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said 33 million people had been hit by the floods -- about 15 per cent of the country's population.He said the losses caused by floods this season were comparable to those during the floods of 2010-11, said to be the worst on record.Officials in the country blame climate change for the devastation, BBC reported.But poor local government planning has also been cited as a factor that has exacerbated the flooding situations in the past, with buildings often erected in areas prone to seasonal flooding.
--IANS san/dpb

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