A woman carrying a child walks along a street during a heavy rainfall in the flood-hit Dera Allah Yar town in Jaffarabad district, Balochistan province, Pakistan, on Aug. 30, 2022. Aid efforts ramped up across flooded Pakistan to help tens of millions of people affected by relentless monsoon rains that have submerged a third of the country and claimed more than 1,100 lives. / Photo by FIDA HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images
On Sunday, August 28, Protestant and Catholic Church leaders from throughout Pakistan issued a plea for assistance to flood victims in that country, where the government has declared a national emergency.
Approximately one-third of Pakistan is submerged, according the National Disaster Management Authority. Submerged residential areas have resulted in the loss of houses, animals, and personal property. In Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest metropolis, the infrastructure has been decimated. While rural regions have been mostly impacted, metropolitan areas also face difficulties.
Since June, over 1,100 individuals have died and over 33 million people have been relocated or otherwise harmed. The Federal Flood Commission of Pakistan has deemed the current floods to be worse than those that struck Pakistan in 2010.
Church leaders have requested assistance from the local and international populations. The head of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, called to the Christian community to demonstrate solidarity with their brothers and sisters who are suffering from the floods.
“People are facing a difficult situation now because water is everywhere,” he said. “Millions of people are homeless and forced to live under open sky. They need tents, food, and medicines. Therefore, [it] is the responsibility of every single Pakistani to help the victims of [the] floods through practical steps.”
Many charity, especially Christian groups, are engaged in relief efforts, however they have struggled with mobility and access to resources: The destruction of roads and bridges makes it harder to reach people. Charity workers are attempting to reach out by boat, but they have not been able to contact everyone.
Amjad Gulzar, executive director of Caritas Pakistan, the social arm of the Catholic Church in Pakistan, said in his plea that Caritas is requesting support and humanitarian supplies for flood victims. He said that via diocesan offices, Caritas’ Emergency Response Teams were giving emergency assistance and completing damage assessments in the impacted regions.
“Our team members have been meeting [with] government district officers and different organizations and enhancing the coordination mechanism, so the relief work should be more effective and coordinated,” Gulzar said.
Farooq Tariq, general secretary of the Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee, a network of small farmers’ organizations, told CNA: “We are pleased that the whole nation is responding to the current challenge. People are generously donating money for aid work. For relief work, we have raised 2 million Pakistani rupees (about 900 U.S. dollars) in just a few days. In these difficult circumstances, our volunteers are doing a great job on the field.”
“However, the situation is so grave that we need more help from people,” he continued. “Countless numbers of people are still without proper food, medicine, clothing, and shelter, and they are waiting for aid. Women, children, elderly people, and persons with disabilities need more attention and help.”
State institutions, including the military, are attempting to rescue individuals and assist them with food and shelter. However, the demand remains significant. Arshad thanked everyone participating in relief efforts, particularly government employees and military members.
Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad, Sindh province, said that the nation is now confronting a very difficult position, as many people are homeless, hungry, and mourning the death of loved ones.
Along with other world leaders, Pope Francis called on the international community to assist Pakistan on Sunday.
“In this place that suffered a harsh calamity, I want to assure the people of Pakistan, hit by floods of disastrous proportions, of my nearness,” the pope said in his Angelus on Sunday while visiting L’Aquila, Italy. “I pray for the numerous victims, for the wounded and those forced from their homes, and that international solidarity might be prompt and generous.”
On Monday, the plea of the pope was featured on the front pages of newspapers throughout Pakistan. Catholics thanked the pope for his words of support for those impacted by floods.
A Catholic schoolteacher from Muzaffargarh, Haroon Samuel, told CNA that all Pakistanis, including Muslims, are grateful to Pope Francis for his compassion for the Pakistani people.