by C. Alessandro Mauceri –
In 2022 Pakistan was hit by what many say is the worst flood in living memory. Over 1,700 people have lost their lives, 33 million no longer have a home, land to cultivate or where to raise animals or a job. About 800,000 cattle and other animals died. 28,000 schools and clinics were damaged. Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, called it a “monsoon on steroids”.
A year later (and after a new flood) the Islamic Relief Worldwide report has tried to analyze the consequences and the impact of these extreme events on the population, especially on children. According to Islamic Relief researchers, 40% of the children interviewed have “stunted” growth rates. 25% are underweight. And many families struggle to find food and basic necessities. Health care is lacking: about 80% of mothers have reported illnesses among their children. Among the most common diarrhea, malaria and dengue fever. Particularly affected are pregnant women and girls. Waseem Ahmad, chief executive officer of Islamic Relief Worldwide, said: “No amount of financial aid can compensate those who have lost loved ones and seen their homes and all that they own destroyed.” “As climate-related disasters increase, it is the poorest and most vulnerable people who are bearing the brunt of suffering. They are the ones most likely to live in flimsy homes and least likely to have savings to fall back on, or assets to sell, or any sort of ‘Plan B’ when the floods hit and crops and livestock are wiped out.”
Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF representative in Pakistan, also analyzed the situation of minors in Pakistan: “Vulnerable children living in flood-affected areas have endured a horrific year. They have lost their loved ones, homes and schools. With the return of monsoon rains, fears of another climate disaster loom. Recovery efforts continue, but many remain unreachable.”
The monsoon rains of 2023 worsened the situation of communities affected by the floods. According to estimates by the United Nations Children’s Agency, “8 million people, about half of whom are children, continue to lack access to clean water in flood-affected areas. More than 1.5 million children require life-saving nutrition interventions in flood-affected districts.
The funds raised so far may not be enough: of the $173.5 million requested by UNICEF to provide “life-saving” support, to date, only 57% has been raised. And the situation may worsen in the near future. What happened has deepened pre-existing inequalities for children and families in the affected districts. Even before the floods, a third of children were out of school, malnutrition was reaching emergency levels and access to clean water and sanitation was worrying. “Pakistan’s children risk being forgotten,” Fadil said. But in the West we no longer think of these children.
All of this will only make an already worrying situation worse. Pakistan is grappling with a thousand problems. Among them a serious economic crisis. Families in poverty are an impressive number: 21.9%, more than a fifth of the population, according to IMF data. Many cannot even afford basic necessities such as food and medicine. All this in a geopolitical context that is anything but calm: recently the political turmoil that swept the country after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, accused of corruption, has turned into violent popular demonstrations.
A situation of political instability that also has financial repercussions. The exchange rate of the Pakistani rupee has fallen sharply: the currency is trading at 301 to the US dollar. This could have consequences on the loan granted to Pakistan by the IMF: the aid was granted on the condition that Pakistan returns to a controlled and stable exchange rate compared to the market. “This suggests that policymakers now have limited scope for currency intervention,” said Shivaan Tandon, an economist at Capital Economics. Since Pakistan’s currency began to decline, the government has imposed tight controls on imports and outflows of the dollar. This had a negative effect: it slowed down the private sector, according to a World Bank report.
With a third of the territory flooded and without foreign funds and aid, the situation in Pakistan is likely to worsen further.
