DEVASTATION

A senior Bahrain-based banker today told of the devastation he witnessed first hand as Pakistan was hit by flash floods which have left a trail of death and destruction across his homeland.

Noor Abid, managing partner for Assurance for Middle East and North Africa at Ernst and Young in Bahrain was visiting his native village of Rahim Yar Khan in central Punjab province of Pakistan when he was caught up in the natural disaster.

Acres upon acres of crops were covered in flood water and bales of cotton - the cash crop of Pakistan, sacks of flour and wheat were left rotting in drenched warehouses near the agricultural heartlands of Pakistan.

The veteran businessman, a father-of-six, who has been based in the kingdom for 20 years, lives in Saar with his wife, Tabasum, and his three youngest children.

He told GulfWeekly: 'We were experiencing a particularly hot spell of weather with absolutely no rain. So everyone welcomed the first rains on July 28 as manna from heaven. But when the rains resumed on July 30 the sheer force of the downpour was such that we could see the mud walls of the surrounding village houses disappear.

'In 72 hours we had 50 hours of rain which lashed out with all its fury. But when the River Indus burst its banks all hell broke loose,' explained Mr Abid, who was at his ancestral home and witnessed the destruction first-hand.

'Small scale farmers were unable to save their crops as standing water in the cotton crop destroys it immediately. I was one of the few lucky ones who had resources like water pumps, tractors and farm hands and managed to pump water out. But whilst we were worrying about saving our crops, people in the North West Frontier Province were being swept away by the intense flood waters and entire villages were being obliterated.'

Mr Abid counts himself among the few lucky ones who managed to rescue his farmland and crops from total destruction, only 50 acres of cotton was damaged by rain.

He has a well-paid job to support him and his family members but most farmers rely solely on income from their farmland and don't know where to turn.

The floods have left the country reeling with shock amid much devastation.

The enormous scale of suffering is hardly over and, according to the United Nations, the devastating floods could affect more people than the world's last three biggest disasters combined.

According to the UN, the final toll could exceed the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake combined.

Deaths in each of those were much higher than the 1,600 people killed so far in the floods but, according to estimates, close to 20 million have been affected, whereas the number of people affected in the three disasters was five million in the tsunami and three million in each of the earthquakes.

According to eyewitness account by Mr Abid, highways around severely-affected villages are a sea of people. Families are taking shelter under trees from temperatures reaching up to 35 degrees Celsius during the day.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, after visiting the flood affected areas, described the experience as 'heart-wrenching'.

He added: 'In the past I have witnessed many natural disasters but nothing like this. I will never forget the destruction and the suffering of millions of people. Waves of flood must be met with waves of support from the world.'

The UN has appealed for an initial $460m (BD173m) to provide relief but only 20 per cent has been given.

Once the floods recede, billions more in aid relief will be needed for reconstruction and rehabilitation. Many volunteer groups comprising social workers, doctors and individuals are working alongside local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and international aid agencies but the need is staggering.

Most of the rescue effort is being handled by the army.

Mr Abid said his own company has rallied to the call for help.

'Initiated by Deborah Holmes, global leader for corporate social responsibility at Ernst and Young (EY) in New York, the organisation has pledged relief funds,' Mr Abid said.

'With the help of a local NGO, Diya Pakistan, we are providing freshly-cooked meals to those affected.

'EY Middle East, along with donations from bankers in Bahrain, have reached out to 2,000 families, each comprising four to six members, and supplied them with one month's food rations.

'EY Karachi and Diya employees are procuring food stuff from Karachi and working with the Pakistan Air Force to deliver food items to people in far-flung areas.'

But, this is just a fraction of the aid needed as the scale of the disaster is changing on a daily basis as people are continuously moving in search of higher ground.

Food and clean water is an immediate need to keep starvation at bay.

Malaria is a big threat, with large swamps of standing water all around. Diarrhoea is rife and cholera has been reported in the North West Frontier Province.

'It's a desperate situation. People don't know where to go. There is a look of disbelief in their eyes and they say that their world has come to an end,' added Mr Abid, who plans to return to Pakistan soon to help.

To donate

To donate to the Pakistan flood relief efforts, contact the following organisations via their websites:

International Red

Crescent Society

Doctors without Borders

Relief International

International

Development and Relief

Foundation

UNICEF

Oxfam

Save the Children