Pakistani Floods to Leave Around 11Mln People Below Poverty Line - Prime Minister

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Around 11 million people will fall below the poverty line in Pakistan due to devastating floods, which have destroyed enormous number of houses, arable lands, heads of livestock and livelihoods, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday.

"For many of the lives we have saved, the future is dimmed by new fragility, lost homes, decimated livelihoods and deluged croplands, permanent food insecurity and exposure to uncertain futures. Some 11 million people will be pushed further below the poverty line, while others will drift to cramped urban shelters, leaving little room for climate-smart rebuilding," Sharif said at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

According to the prime minister, the Pakistani government has already provided 70 billion Pakistani rupees ($300 million) in payments to the most affected people, but the gap between the urgent needs of the population and available resources is increasing every day along with the unprecedented scale of the floods.

"The question to raise here is quite simple. Why are my people paying the price of such high global warming through no fault of us? We have no contribution in this. Nature has unleashed her fury on Pakistan without looking at our carbon footprint, which is next to nothing. Our actions did not contribute to this. The dual cost of global inaction and climate injustice are having a crippling effect on both our treasury and our people," Sharif concluded.

According to the Pakistani authorities, over 33 million people or one in seven Pakistanis have been affected by the devastating floods. Around 1,500 people have died and more than 12,000 others have sustained injuries since the start of the monsoon season on June 14. The floods have also partially or completely destroyed at least two million houses, and killed over one million heads of livestock.

In late August, the Pakistani government declared a state of emergency in the country and called on other countries and international organizations to provide all possible assistance to the population.