More than 2 million affected this year
In 2010, millions of Pakistanis were forced to leave their homes as torrential rains and flooding forced the rivers to burst their banks, uprooting houses and property in the country.
Those floods claimed 2,000 lives and affected 18 million people, more than a tenth of the population, leaving 11 million people homeless. Aid agencies estimate that some 800,000 families are still without shelter from those floods and around 1 million people are in need of food.
Compounding that problem, floodwaters swept through much of Sindh Province in August and September – from the fertile land to the desert of Thar – destroying thousands of small villages across the southern province in their path.
The result is a bleak picture. Poor villagers and tent villages line the roads. Floodwater is everywhere.
Those who couldn't get proper tents have built makeshift structures with wooden planks and plastic sheets donated by relief workers. Children swat away flies while they play. Villagers rush approaching vehicles in the hopes of getting meals for starving families.
The floods, caused by heavy rains and subsequent breaches in drainage canals, have killed more than 400 people, and medical experts say more than 2 million people are suffering from flood-related diseases. Some 200,000 cattle – hard cash for villagers – have also died. And some 600,000 acres of agricultural land has been destroyed.
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