The Australian government has announced it will provide $2 million in humanitarian aid to help those affected by the floods that have devastated Pakistan.
More than 33 million people have been impacted by the floods, which have submerged one-third of the country. More than 1,000 people have died.
It’s estimated around 200,000 people are now displaced, with almost one million homes damaged, according to Pakistan’s planning minister.
Pakistan’s climate change minister has described the flooding, caused by an intense monsoon season, as a “climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions”.
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia will provide $2 million in support through the World Food Program to assist with “immediate humanitarian needs, particularly those disproportionately affected by the floods, including women, children and the vulnerable.”
“I extend Australia’s deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and communities that have lost loved ones, and those whose lives and livelihoods have been affected,” Senator Wong said in a statement.
Preliminary estimates have indicated it will cost the Pakistan government $14 billion to recover from the disaster.
In response to an appeal for international aid, the United Nations planned a $232 million flash appeal for donations, according to Pakistan’s foreign ministry.
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