ISLAMABAD: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that he has never seen such a large-scale destruction as a result of climate change. He visited the flood-affected areas of Pakistan yesterday and blamed the rich and industrialized countries for the disaster.
Guterres hoped that his visit would increase support for Pakistan.
According to the estimates of the government of Pakistan, the country has lost more than thirty billion dollars due to this natural disaster. The UN Chief, while talking to journalists in Karachi, said that the devastation he has seen cannot be described in words.
In recent floods in Pakistan, about 1400 people have died, thousands of homes, businesses and roads have been destroyed.
Heavy monsoon rains have disrupted the country’s communication system.
Pakistan experiences heavy monsoon rains every year, but this year, the rains have broken the record of the last several decades and the disaster has been exacerbated by the melting glaciers.
Guterres said that Pakistan is not as responsible for climate change as other countries and now it is the responsibility of these countries to help Pakistan in this hour of trouble.
According to a conservative estimate, about 33 million people have been affected by the floods in Pakistan, about 2 million homes and businesses have been destroyed, 7,000 kilometers of roads have washed away and 500 bridges have collapsed. Guterres lamented that the world had Climate change has not been addressed. “This is madness and tantamount to mass suicide,” he said.
During his brief visit to Pakistan, Guterres also visited several relief camps and interacted with the victims there.
