Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri concerned over devastation by floods in Pakistan

Canberra: Pakistani High Commissioner to Australia Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri this week expressed concern over the devastation by floods in Pakistan.

“As flood waters start to recede, we are seeing more & more images of devastation caused by climate change induced floods in Pakistan. Pics of destroyed apple orchards in Hannah Lake,” he tweeted with pictures of the floods destruction.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appealed for global support to face the consequences of the climate catastrophe that ravaged his South Asian nation.

The flood-induced devastation means it is incumbent on Pakistan to “ensure rapid economic growth and lift millions out of poverty and hunger”, he said.

“No words can describe the shock we are living through or how the face of the country lies transformed,” Sharif told the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

“For 40 days and 40 nights, a biblical flood poured down on us, smashing centuries of weather records, challenging everything we knew about disaster and how to manage it.”

More than 1,500 people have been killed in the floods, including 552 children, and 33 million have been affected, according to the UN.

Like many nations in the Global South facing the wrath of climate change, Sharif noted Pakistan had little responsibility for it.