Australia provides $2 million in aid as Pakistan reels from devastating floods

Immediate humanitarian aid will be provided to Pakistan's government to help feed those disproportionately affected by the natural disaster.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has announced humanitarian aid for Pakistan as it experiences unprecedented flooding. Source: AAP

Key Points

• The federal government will provide $2 million in humanitarian aid to help those affected by Pakistan floods.
• One-third of Pakistan is submerged as more than 33 million people have been impacted by the floods.

The federal government has announced it will provide $2 million in humanitarian aid to help those affected by the floods that have devastated Pakistan.

More than 33 million people have been impacted by the floods, which have submerged one-third of the country. More than 1,000 people have died.

Roads, bridges, villages and livestock have been washed away as the country with a population of 220 million reels from the destruction caused by the disaster.

Pakistani residents waded through the flooded waters of their towns as heavy monsoon rain destroyed thousands of homes. Source: Getty / Pacific Press / Sipa USA

It's estimated around 200,000 people are now displaced, with almost one million homes damaged, according to Pakistan's planning minister.

Pakistan's climate change minister has described the flooding, caused by an intense monsoon season, as a "climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions".

On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia will provide $2 million in support through the World Food Program to assist with "immediate humanitarian needs, particularly those disproportionately affected by the floods, including women, children and the vulnerable."

"I extend Australia’s deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and communities that have lost loved ones, and those whose lives and livelihoods have been affected," Senator Wong said in a statement.

Preliminary estimates have indicated it will cost the Pakistan government $14 billion to recover from the disaster.

In response to an appeal for international aid, the United Nations planned a $232 million flash appeal for donations, according to Pakistan's foreign ministry.

Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced due to the floods and are relying on food relief to survive. Source: AP / Asim Tanveer

Turkey and the United Arab Emirates have so far led the international response, with aid including tents, food and other necessities from those countries arriving in the Pakistan capital Islamabad on Sunday.

No formal requests have been made to international financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund, until the government is able to fully determine the overall cost of the damages in the country.