Pakistan’s Government Is Failing Flood Victims
At COP27, Pakistan’s government took credit for the role it played in setting up the loss and damage facility to compensate poor nations for climate change. At home, Islamabad has not done enough to protect flood victims from starvation and eviction.
Malir camp city, Pakistan. (Nadja Sieniawski)
Six months after disastrous floods struck Pakistan, promises of an ambitious flood recovery plan ring hollow for flood victims.
Last year’s monsoon was exceptionally violent, submerging more than a third of Pakistan’s landmass. Much of the water still covers large areas of land today, while thousands remain displaced, living in makeshift shelters on roadsides and camp cities.
Pakistan’s government has responded with an ambitious $16 billion flood recovery plan, the Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF). Most recently, the international community pledged more than $9 billion in financial support at a Geneva conference. These commitments are a welcome success for the crisis-hit and cash-strapped government.
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