How a third of Pakistan is now under water

Pakistan has been hit hard by climate change this year. Pakistan has seen so much rain since June that a third of the Asian country is under water. Flood pictures.

Due to monsoons (monsoons), floods are common. However, the rainfall in recent months has been the heaviest in more than ten years.

The amount of rain is twice its usual height. In some places the precipitation was more severe. For example, in Badidan, in the province of Sindh, more than 1.2 meters of rain have fallen since June.

Rivers overflowed their banks due to rain. Villages and towns were flooded.

The floods claimed the lives of more than 1,100 people. It is feared that the real number of dead is higher. This is because many villages have become inaccessible due to the storm.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a red alert on Wednesday. It is said that about six million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Help is provided from all over the world.

Severe weather affects more than 33 million people, about 15 percent of the Pakistani population. Bridges and roads were destroyed, and an estimated one million homes were damaged or destroyed.

Millions of Pakistanis have already fled. They seek safety in makeshift camps in high places.

The effect of the floods is clearly visible on the satellite images. Here you can see how the Indus River overflowed its banks. On the left the situation on August 24, on the right on August 28.

These satellite images show the Indus River again. On the left is the situation around Score on August 2. On the right is the situation on August 28.

Minister Ahsan Iqbal (Planning) believes the floods are worse than they were in 2010. That year the country had to deal with the worst floods on record. More than two thousand people were killed.