The business correspondent for Asia.

Victims of flooding from monsoon rains carry grasses for their cattle after their flooded home in Sehwan, PakistanImage source, Getty Images
Image caption, Many households in the affected areas rely on crops and livestock to make a living

The calls are increasing in volume. Pakistan is in dire need of help after its worst floods in a long time.

"Pakistan's economy was already struggling with a balance of payments crisis, rising debt, and soaring inflation, and this climate calamity couldn't have come at a worse time," Maleeha said.

The economy is at risk of tanking if debt relief is not granted.

Nearly 1,500 people have been killed and 33 million people have been affected by catastrophic rain caused by climate change.

The extreme weather event washed away homes, roads, railways, crops and livelihoods.

With agriculture making up nearly a quarter of Pakistan's economy, officials now say the floods may have cost as much as 40 billion dollars.

More than one million cattle have been lost in the floods across the country.

The farmers who have not had their crops washed away are running low on feed.

With a food crisis looming, there will be more pain in the future.

Map showing damage done by monsoon rains

According to Pakistan's climate change minister, 70% of the onion harvest has been ruined.

Pakistan is the fourth largest rice exporting country in the world.

With so much agricultural land damaged, the wheat harvest could be at risk.

Food prices are under pressure because of the post-pandemic supply chain disruption and the war in Ukraine.

According to reports, Pakistan's inflation rate was more than 25% before the floods.

The country's foreign reserves were running low before the crisis, but authorities may need to import food to feed people.

Pakistan is a major supplier of cotton to the textile industry. There will be a shortage of that as well.

The package was approved by the International Monetary Fund but there were some conditions attached.

Andrew Wood flagged high inflation, a weaker currency, and tighter fiscal and monetary conditions as affecting growth in a recent briefing. The agency estimated the government's debt to be around 75% of GDP.

Financial support from the International Monetary Fund is critical. Mr Wood said structural reforms that support Pakistan's business environment would be important pillars of an economic recovery.

The floods were caused by melting glaciers.

In July and August the South Asian nation received more rain than usual. The south of the country received more rain than average.

During his visit to Pakistan last week, the UN Secretary General blamed climate change for the disaster.

I've seen a lot of humanitarian disasters. Climate carnage on this scale has never been seen by me. There is a flooded area that is three times the total area of my own country, Portugal.

A public health crisis is inevitable as aid agencies assess the scale of the reconstruction effort.

Thousands of people are at risk due to the forecast of more rain.

Media caption,

The workers are trying to stop the lake banks from bursting.

  • Pakistan
  • Asia Pacific
  • Climate change