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United States Agency for International Development (USAID) chief Samantha Power on Friday called on Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and extended full support to Pakistan to help mitigate the disastrous impacts of ravaging floods.
While appreciating Power's visit to Pakistan at this difficult hour when unprecedented rains had caused the most severe floods in Pakistan's history, the Foreign Minister welcomed US support and solidarity with the people of Pakistan, read the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan press release. Bilawal added that the ravaging floods had washed away entire villages affecting over 33 million people; the death toll stood at 1,300; four million acres of crops were destroyed; 800,000 livestock had been lost, and billions of dollars have been lost in critical infrastructure. He underscored that Pakistan was among the most severely affected countries due to climate change, especially with less than 1 per cent carbon footprint, added the release. The Foreign Minister underscored that despite Government's full engagement with rescue and relief efforts, continued international support, solidarity, and assistance were required to respond to the devastating impact of this disaster. The Foreign Minister looked forward to Pakistan and the US building extensive engagement on climate change and on tools of climate resilience. He stressed that the developed countries must step up their climate ambition, including the provision of predictable climate finance for mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change in the developing world, said the release. He called for greater climate justice and hoped that the developed countries would take all those measures that would support developing countries deal with the worst impacts of climate change. The Foreign Minister thanked USAID for providing financial assistance in the wake of the floods and hoped that having witnessed the first-hand account of the devastation faced by the flood-affected population. Bilawal also underlined that the government of Pakistan had instituted a very transparent mechanism to ensure that international financial assistance was efficiently and transparently disbursed, added the release. Meanwhile, one of the world's oldest preserved human settlements has been significantly damaged by torrential rain in Pakistan as the country battles the worst floods in its history, reported CNN. Moenjodaro (also styled Mohenjo-Daro), a World Heritage site in the Indus River Valley 508 kilometres (316 miles) from Karachi, was built in the Bronze Age, some 5,000 years ago. "Unfortunately we witnessed the mass destruction at the site," reads a letter from the Cultural, Tourism, & Antiquities Department of Singh state sent to UNESCO and signed by curator Ihsan Ali Abbasi and architect Naveed Ahmed Sangah. UNESCO has responded to the request for help, allocating USD 350,000 from its emergency fund for damaged historic sites in Pakistan during UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's visit to the flood-ravaged country this week, reported CNN. Currently, an estimated one-third of Pakistan is underwater after monsoon downpours combined with water from melting glaciers. (ANI)
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