By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN weather agency on Sunday said that monsoon flooding in northern Pakistan has impacted 1.5 million people and killed 900 people.
Hundreds of thousands need assistance after torrential rains triggered flashfloods, landslides and destruction, it stated.
UN chief Antonio Guterres has expressed his sadness at the scale of the emergency, while UN agencies and partners are working closely with Pakistan to identify needs and address gaps in the disaster response.
According to the WMO there is no immediate respite in sight.
The weather agency said that heavy rains could generate flash floods in streams in Kashmir, Islamabad, Rabindi, north-east Punjab and Swat, and cause slow-moving but devastating urban flooding in low-lying areas.
UN agency noted that high temperatures causing glacial melt had made the situation worse.
Pakistan climate experts issued repeated warnings about glacial lake outbursts.
The most recent alert on 30 August warned that temperatures were much higher than normal, potentially accelerated the amount of glacier water running downstream, WMO concluded.
