Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in the northern mountains triggered floods that washed away homes, roads, railways, bridges, livestock and crops, and killed more than about 1,400 people.
“Pakistan needs massive financial support to respond to this crisis which has cost it, according to some estimates I heard today, around $30 billion and more, and this support is very much needed, and this is not a question of solidarity, it is a question of justice”, declared Antnio Guterres.
Large areas of the country are flooded, and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their homes. The government says the lives of nearly 33 million people have been disrupted. Both the government and Mr Guterres blamed the floods on climate change.
Mr. Guterres said the world needs to understand the impact of climate change on low-income countries.
“It is essential that the international community take notice of this, especially the countries that have contributed the most to climate change,” he added.