Extreme flooding has been tormenting Pakistan and other regions of the Indian subcontinent for the past few months. The floods wrecked homes and other buildings, taking many lives along with them. As the waters start to recede, many are left to deal with homelessness, disease, and economic distress. UNICEF’s relief efforts and other small-scale local efforts are in progress to help those affected by these natural disasters. 

“I can say without any fear of contradiction, this flood situation is probably the worst in the history of Pakistan,” said Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, in an article in the Washington Post. Unlike India, where the floods are impacting one part of the country, the entirety of Pakistan has been affected by flooding. 

“My brother-in-law is in Karachi right now, and says he has not been able to leave the apartment in 8 weeks,” said Feroze Waheed. Waheed lives in Powell but has family back in Pakistan. The distance makes communication hard, but Waheed checks in when he can. As the waters are receding, he hears about evacuation efforts. 

“The priority is to take in folks,” Waheed said about the efforts. “then they won’t have any money for rebuilding and infrastructure.” Costs have been a problem that has hounded Pakistan for a long before the floods. 

“Pakistan’s inflation rate was more than 24% before the floods, and some costs have climbed by 500%” BBC reports. With a slow economy, Pakistan has been dealing with significant burdens even before the floods. Now, with displaced populations and a precarious business environment, it only gets worse. Despite the Pakistan-centered effects, the cause is more global than one would think.

“This super flood is driven by climate change — the causes are international, and so the response calls for international solidarity,” said Julien Harneis, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Pakistan. 

The US has sent aid in the form of airlifts and money, but the problem remains. According to PBS, the country emits only 0.4% of emissions that contribute to global warming, while the US emits 21.5%. Any long-term solutions to the problem would involve dealing with the root cause.

 “I think the world needs to do a lot more for the countries that are impacted by these natural disasters because there’s only going to be more,” said Waheed. As the global temperature rises, climate change only becomes more extreme in places such as Pakistan. 

“Without support from the West,” Waheed said, “I’m not sure how these countries are going to survive.”