Winnipeg’s Pakistani community devastated by flooding in home country

Flooding in Pakistan has displaced millions and killed more than a thousand people. Winnipeggers in the Pakistani community are now doing all they can to help out those in need. Alex Karpa reports.

By Alex Karpa

Images and video of severe flooding in Pakistan are hitting close to home for many in Canada.

A disastrous monsoon has brought flash flooding across Pakistan, wiping out villages, displacing millions and claiming the lives of more than 1,000 people.

Winnipegger Hamza Khan has family and friends in Pakistan and says the whole situation is heartbreaking.

“Today, there was more than 200 deaths in a single day, so it’s absolutely devastating to see that,” said Khan.

“I can’t even imagine a single person isn’t affected out there. Every single person is impacted out there.”


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Khan says he has never seen the monsoon season this bad in his home country.

“More than 600,000 homes have been destroyed so they are waiting on supplies like food, shelter, medicine and they just don’t know what to do at the moment,” he said.

Manitobans raising funds for Pakistan

Khan is working with the Canada Pakistan Trade and Cultural Association of Manitoba to raise funds. The organization is planning a fundraiser in a few weeks. The Manitoba Islamic Association said it will match funds up to $5,000.

Khan’s brother Masroor Khan, who also lives in Winnipeg, is in Pakistan helping with the humanitarian efforts.

“There’s a risk of malnutrition and children are already starting to develop diseases such as cholera,” said Masroor Khan. “So, we are emphasizing our efforts so that we can contribute in any way we can and help out those who are struggling.”

Khan says it was important for him to help. Not only will he be assisting in humanitarian efforts, but he will be making sure the money raised in Manitoba gets into the right hands.

“Everyone will play their part and we want to care for the needs of others and hope that our help can be impactful,” said Masroor.

Climate change’s role in Pakistan flooding

Curt Hull, with Climate Change Connection, says as the planet continues to warm due to climate change, these tragic weather events will occur more often. As much as there is a human tragedy involved, Hull says there is also an economic consequence in play.

“How often can we respond to these things, if we’re just responding to the damages that they cause,” said Hull, the group’s project director. “The costs keep going up. It’s sort of like, ‘you pay me now, or you pay me later.’ Either we can take the actions that are necessary to move ourselves away from our reliance on fossil fuels, or we pay more and more for the consequences.”

The Canadian government announced $5 million for humanitarian funding in response to the flooding in Pakistan on Monday, but Hamza Khan is hoping Canadians will contribute too.

“In the world that we live in, we have to help out each other, so let’s keep helping out each other,” said Khan.

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