Kelowna’s Pakistani community watches in constant fear as family and friends back home struggle with historic flooding. Kelowna resident Arham Jatoi says her relatives, including her aunt, uncle and cousins, are trapped in Parkistan’s Dadu area in Beto village. Dadu district has been hit very hard by the floods. Jatoi says she grew up in the village. “Right now the house is fine. That’s because the villagers have rallied,” he said. “The surrounding villages are all gone, so everyone is basically in Mehar which is the big town there. The villagers are building the sandbags and everything.” She said her family is stuck in a waiting game, hoping the water level will stop rising. “There’s only so much one can do,” he said. Flooding caused by monsoon rains and melting glaciers has affected more than 33 million people and killed at least 1,325, including 466 children, Reuters reports. The United Nations children’s agency said this week that more than three million children are in need of humanitarian assistance and are at increased risk of disease, drowning and malnutrition. According to reports, the flood height is eight to nine feet in Dadu district. “Right now the water keeps rising, so it’s scary,” Jatoi said. “My cousin is there. He went back to the city of Karachi to meet his parents, but then he came back because his land is there, his house is there. We talk to them every day, but now we are waiting to see what happens because the level of water continues to rise and they don’t really have much help from the government.” Jatoi expects it to get worse. “There’s no food left. Everyone’s crops are ground. There’s a lot of people who drowned because everyone’s trying to save everyone, but there’s only so much you can do,” he added. Pakistan and the United Nations have appealed for $160 million in emergency funding. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the floods in Pakistan are a message to the world. “Let’s stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our planet by climate change,” he said in a video message at a ceremony in Islamabad to launch the appeal. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif thanked the UAE via Twitter for delivering the first tranche of aid goods worth $50 million. He also thanked the United States for announcing $30 million in aid. Canada has offered $5 million. The original government estimates the damage to Pakistan’s economy at $10 billion. The Muslim Association of BC, meanwhile, has raised over $150,000 to help with disaster relief. Donations can be made here.
