Pakistan experienced unprecedented floods last year. More than 33 million people were directly affected, and a staggering 20.6 million were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The consequences were devastating – almost eight million people were displaced and at least two million homes were destroyed.
Although the water has receded, the scars of the disaster are still fresh a year later.
At least 1.5 million people are still displaced. Basic needs such as food and shelter remain inaccessible to a large proportion of the flood-affected population, and more than 40 percent of them rely on humanitarian assistance to survive.
While immediate concerns about food, shelter and water have been largely addressed, climate anxiety has not made headlines in flood-affected communities across Pakistan.
Although the term “climate anxiety” has been newly coined, it reflects a distress that these communities have long felt.
With the increasing threat of climate change, flooding is becoming increasingly common in Pakistan, leaving some communities facing an endless cycle of displacement and desperation. For these communities, fatigue caused by climate-related disasters is beginning to take its toll. Not only are they exhausted, but they are more concerned than ever about the potential threat of a cascading disaster.
Residents in these flood-affected areas live in fear of an uncertain future. They are struggling with the harsh reality that they lack the necessary preparations for another flood and have no clear plans for shelter should their already fragile homes become uninhabitable.
Despite making a very small contribution to the global climate crisis, Pakistan remains one of the countries most affected by the impacts of climate change. And climate anxiety is likely to continue to grow in the country, particularly among the most vulnerable populations.
Source : www.aljazeera.com