QUETTA - Central Vice President Balochistan Awami Party Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri has said that as a result of devastating floods in the country, there is a fear of severe food crisis in Pakistan. In a statement issued here on Friday, senator said one-third of the country has been affected by the stormy rains and floods, and standing crops along with livestock have been destroyed in these areas, due to which there is a fear of food shortage in the country in the coming days.
The federal and provincial governments must come up with an emergency plan to deal with the expected food shortages. “More than 33 million people have been affected by the recent floods, she said,” adding initial economic losses from the floods are estimated at more than $20 billion.
Food insecurity and malnutrition in the flood-affected areas were already at a critical level, while the recent catastrophic floods are likely to increase the number of people suffering from malnutrition.
Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri said that above 20 million acre Crops based land have been flooded and more than 65 percent of the crops containing basic needs like rice and wheat have been destroyed while more than seven and a half million animals have died.
She said referring to international media reports that the international Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have warned that there is a fear of an extraordinary increase in the number of people suffering from severe hunger in Pakistan.
She said that since 1954, Pakistan has contributed only 0.4% to the global carbon dioxide emissions, while the developed countries are leading in spreading the dangerous carbon dioxide in the world
