Floods Could Have Lasting Impact for Pakistan (New York Times)
“The floods have submerged about 17 million acres of Pakistan’s most fertile croplands, in a nation where farming is an economic mainstay. The waters have also killed more than 200,000 head of livestock, and washed away large quantities of stored commodities that feed millions throughout the year.
“Relief workers warned that if farmers missed the deadline to reseed in the fall planting season, the nation could face long-term shortages. [...]
“The loss of even nonfood crops, like cotton for the nation’s textile industry, could undercut the nation’s ability to recover.
“With 20 percent of cotton washed away, Pakistan’s famed textile industry, which accounts for 60 percent of the country’s exports, is certain to stagger. As a result, textile plants are likely to make large-scale layoffs. Plants that do manage to purchase cotton will face electricity shortages, as more than seven major power stations have been demolished.”
See also:
Pakistan flooding submerges new areas (CBC, August 21, 2010):
“According to [a spokesman for the Canadian Red Cross], six million people are already homeless, and there are upwards of 20 million people whose lives have been impacted.
“The floods began in the northwest, hitting the Swat Valley and areas close to the main city of Peshawar, before moving down the country by way of the River Indus, devastating millions of hectares of crops in the country’s ‘breadbasket’ in Punjab and the Sindh.
“About one-fifth of the country–a chunk of land about the size of Italy–has been affected.”
And see:
Pakistan Flood Sets Back Infrastructure by Years (New York Times, August 26, 2010)
And see on anti-caste:
NOTES ON THE HISTORY OF PAKISTAN (June 2009)
ON CASTE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST SURVIVORS OF THE SOUTH ASIAN TSUNAMI (January 15, 2005)
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