The monsoon in Pakistan has vastly overwhelmed the water management capacity of Pakistan’s dams. As of Aug. 30, over a third of the country is flooded, largely in areas surrounding the north-south Indus River. Over 1,100 are known to have died, and over a million homes have been damaged, with over a third of them completely destroyed. Further, 735,000 livestock have been drowned or swept away, and 3.6 million acres of crops damaged, wiping out cotton, wheat, vegetable and fruit harvests. There are an estimated 33 million people in need of aid, but reaching them is challenging, as over 2,000 miles of roads and 162 bridges have been destroyed. Expected food harvests are removed from diets and waterborne diseases are an issue.
The UN is trying to raise funds for their plan to get aid to about 5 million people. Yesterday, China deployed two of their largest military cargo aircraft to Karachi, carrying an initial 3,000 tents plus other aid. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian stated: “As all-weather strategic cooperative partners and ‘ironclad’ friends, China and Pakistan have been sharing weal and woe for a long time, reaching out to each other and responding to major challenges such as natural disasters side by side.” He added that yesterday’s shipment was just the beginning.
Pakistan has been attempting to construct over 12,000 MW of hydroelectric capacity on their rivers this decade. Doing so would more than double the present capacity (of just under 10,000 MW). That China has taken the lead in the projects, as a major part of their Belt and Road design, has left the Western nations crying crocodile tears.
