AS Gelontorkan Rp445.4 Billion Bantuan Pakistan Purlih Dari Banjir Bandang

Floods in Pakistan in 2022 (Twitter/@PDMA Balochistan)

JAKARTA - The US government announced an additional 30 million dollars (approximately IDR 445.4 billion) to help Pakistan recover from the flash floods that have killed more than 1,000 people. Funding will flow through the US International Development Institute (USAID) to its local partners in Pakistan. "The United States is deeply saddened by the loss of life and a devastating livelihood across Pakistan. We supported Pakistan during this difficult time," USAID said in a written statement quoted from Anadolu via Antara, Wednesday, August 31. USAID says the aid will prioritize much-needed support for food, nutrition, cash, clean water, sanitation and better hygiene, as well as shelter assistance. A USAID disaster management specialist arrived in Islamabad on Monday (29/8) to assess the impact of flooding and coordinate with local partners in disaster response efforts. The US announcement came after United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a call for a 160 million-dollar raise to help Pakistan tackle the disaster. Guterres described recent flooding, which has inundated nearly half of Pakistan's territory, as a "caklimate catastrophe". He also noted that South Asia is one of the "hot spots of the climate crisis" in the world. The most destructive rainy season in Pakistan's history recently coupled with raging floods hitting mountain slopes, sweeping entire buildings, and flooding more than 70 districts, turning it into an inland river. Nearly 1,200 people have lost their lives, while more than a million homes have been destroyed or damaged since mid-June, according to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority. Continuous rains and raging floods have also destroyed most of the country's infrastructure and agricultural land, including hundreds of roads and bridges, and washed away nearly a million animals.