Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

No one is talking about Pakistan…

53 replies

SupDuck · 30/08/2022 16:44

The climate catastrophe has caused the most devastating flooding in Pakistan. Well over a thousand people have died so far and over 6 million people are displaced - one third of the country is under water!
This is a horrific crisis and they are desperately in need of aid. It is deteriorating rapidly with more to come.
I have not seen it mentioned at all, and when I mentioned it to a friend she hasn’t heard of it at all.
Therefore I am posting here as I wanted to bring some more awareness to the situation.

OP posts:
Babyroobs · 30/08/2022 18:05

I had seen it on national news but considering our local area has a huge Pakistani population, I'm surprised not to have seen more in the local press as communities in my city must be fundraising.

fancytulip · 30/08/2022 18:06

It was on 10 o'clock news last night. Heavily featuring on the radio news now. Awful

Cornettoninja · 30/08/2022 18:09

I’ve been following for a couple of days, to be honest I’ve not much to say other than it is desperately awful. I read a much higher figure for those displaced and I think it will be some time until more accurate figures filter through.

Apl · 30/08/2022 18:10

It is all over the news.

There aren’t lots of threads as there’s nothing we can do except send money which I do feel a bit weird abour given how corrupt (and hostile to the UK) their government is. Maybe ditch the space program and feed your people, Pakistan officials…

User287264 · 30/08/2022 18:10

It is a huge disaster. I'm ignoring it because I just don't know how to think about it. On top of all the other things going wrong in the world I just can't think about this too. Its too much. It's too hopeless.

And yes I am very aware that I am lucky to be in such a privileged position that I can choose not to think about it. My heart breaks for the world and its people right now.

Ineedtoletgo83 · 30/08/2022 18:11

It was lead news just now on BBC Radio 1

MyNameIsNotMichele · 30/08/2022 18:12

Massive climate crisis in China too.

Ineedtoletgo83 · 30/08/2022 18:12

Huge ex pat Pakistani community will raise a lot of money to go directly where it needs to go rather than via the corrupt government

meditrina · 30/08/2022 18:17

It was the top story on ITV News yesterday, and it's on the front page of BBC news website.

DEC have not (yet?) launched an appeal, but last time they did (floods of 2010/11) it had one of the largest responses ever to any of their appeald.

Islamic Relief are already collecting, the UN has an appeal out, and no doubt there will be others

And yes, the effects of climate change elsewhere on the planet are grossly under-reported here.

meditrina · 30/08/2022 18:19

MyNameIsNotMichele · 30/08/2022 18:12

Massive climate crisis in China too.

yes, heatwave there has barely been reported here (record breaking tempertures and drought)

gogohmm · 30/08/2022 18:19

Headline news in the newspaper and on bbc. People are talking about it and collecting money for relief agencies.

upinaballoon · 30/08/2022 18:25

I've heard it mentioned on the radio and there's an appeal, but I haven't checked out the details. Many years ago there was a big flood, also probably in Pakistan, and there was a picture of a man in a magazine. He was wading through water which was about chest high and on his head he carried a turban-type thing, which had all of his worldly possessions in it.

LobeliaBaggins · 30/08/2022 18:27

The poor will suffer because of Kylie Jenner and her ilk. It just doesn't bear thinking about. ( But we have to think about it).

Festoonlights · 30/08/2022 18:39

People are totally exhausted from the endless ‘end of days’ news that has been churning out for years now. They simply don’t have the capacity to deal with one crisis after another and are very very fatigued. I don’t even watch the news, and feel much better for it.
On a deeper level of course people here care, and are very sad to see the suffering but I can’t find further energy beyond extending my most sincere sympathies to those affected.

There is a limit to peoples ability to keep absorbing terrible news and find empathy, most people reached that point when the war started in Ukraine free many years of the pandemic. Many are becoming desensitised I suspect and are short circuiting/ protecting their MH

Hopefully something will finally be done to build the infrastructure needed to keep people safe.

Cupofteainthemorning · 30/08/2022 18:45

The more it happens the more desensitized the public get to weather disasters. There have been heatwaves, droughts and now floods. This is just going to become more and more common and extreme with climate change. Unfortunately, as much I wish we could help everyone, we can't keep giving money/clothes/food etc everytime this happens. It is only a short term solution. Instead governments across the entire world should be putting money into preventing or at least slowing down global warming. That will help more people in the long term.

tonicwaters · 30/08/2022 18:53

Pakistan is an anachronism. It is very poor but very rich in resources. There is no real democracy and the elites never suffer.

I doubt the ruling classes have wet feet. There is International Aid flowing to such countries in the billions. I wonder where it is going.

Those poor people.

LobeliaBaggins · 30/08/2022 18:55

I think Pakistan is badly hit because it has 7000 glaciers, the largest number in the world, which are now melting.

Hawkins001 · 30/08/2022 19:01

shivermetimbers77 · 30/08/2022 16:56

It’s awful and a real sign of what is to come everywhere if we don’t act on the climate emergency.

Can we be sure that it was a natural event , rather than someone's science experiment gone array etc ?

Hawkins001 · 30/08/2022 19:02

And I say that as I believe, but I'm willing to be corrected, that during world war two, their were experiments using iodine I believe to seed clouds to help the weather to rain.

Qik · 30/08/2022 19:15

tonicwaters · 30/08/2022 18:53

Pakistan is an anachronism. It is very poor but very rich in resources. There is no real democracy and the elites never suffer.

I doubt the ruling classes have wet feet. There is International Aid flowing to such countries in the billions. I wonder where it is going.

Those poor people.

  1. In terms of GDP, Pakistan is in the top 10%.
  2. When it comes to measuring that per capita, then Pakistan drops way down to the 30% - 40% band.
  3. A recognised nuclear power with as many warheads as the UK (albeit with more limited range).

I think Pakistan has much to do to get itself in order before we start knee-jerking off vast sums of aid on some woke fantasy.

Qik · 30/08/2022 19:16

@tonicwaters I quoted your post because I was agreeing with you, by the way.

Keyansier · 30/08/2022 19:32

What has Kylie Jenner got to do with Pakistan flooding? Or is that a joke I've missed?

LobeliaBaggins · 30/08/2022 19:39

Not a joke. Increased emissions by the rich with private planes are melting glaciers and causing floods worldwide. Pakistan has over 7000 glaciers. This isn't controversial.

Antigonads · 30/08/2022 19:41

It’s all over the news and an International appeal has been launched.

I’m sure the huge Pakistani community in my area will be doing lots to help.

Keyansier · 30/08/2022 19:42

LobeliaBaggins · 30/08/2022 19:39

Not a joke. Increased emissions by the rich with private planes are melting glaciers and causing floods worldwide. Pakistan has over 7000 glaciers. This isn't controversial.

^^ That makes sense. I thought you were talking specifically about the Kardashian family, who I was struggling to directly link with the floods.