Pakistan asks US for help to deal with monsoon rains after the death of a hundred people

ISLAMABAD, July 8. (DPA/EP) –

The Pakistani authorities have requested help from the United States government this Friday to deal with the serious consequences of the monsoon rains, which have wreaked havoc in the country and have left more than a hundred dead since mid-June.

The Minister for Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, has held a conversation with the United States special envoy for climate, John Kerry, about the joint fight against global warming. Thus, she has confirmed that Pakistan is seeking both technical and financial assistance from Washington.

Rehman has warned that the country faces the “existential” threat of climate change and has indicated that it is one of the ten places most affected by climate change.

Authorities have warned that more rain and flooding are expected over the weekend in the southern regions of the country, which could lead to further flooding. Pakistan, with a population of 200 million people, is suffering the consequences of climate change even though it contributes less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Among the main reasons is its proximity to industrialized countries such as China and India, according to environmental experts.

On Wednesday, the Balochistan government declared a state of disaster in the city of Quetta after the death of around twenty people in Pakistan’s southwestern province due to heavy monsoon rains recorded within 24 hours.