London, Sep 1 : Aid workers have appealed for urgent donations to fight the “absolutely devastating” impact of flooding in Pakistan, as new satellite images appeared to confirm that a third of the country is now under water, media reports said.
As the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched an appeal to raise funds for the 33 million people affected by the floods in Pakistan, the European Space Agency (ESA) released stark images based on data captured by its Copernicus satellite, The Guardian reported.
The images appear to confirm the Pakistani government’s assessment that more than a third of the country � an area roughly the size of the UK � has been submerged by monsoon rainfall, estimated to have been 10 times more severe than usual, the report said.
“The Indus River has overflowed, effectively creating a long lake, tens of kilometres wide,” ESA said in a statement.
The floods have claimed more than 1,100 lives, including 399 children, destroyed more than a million homes and swept away crops, livestock and major infrastructure such as roads and bridges.
On Thursday, Saleh Saeed, chief executive of the DEC, the umbrella organisation for 15 leading UK aid charities, implored the British public to help.
“Time is critical, with conditions expected to get worse as the rains continue. We are urging everyone: please give whatever you can,” he said.(IANS)