Pakistan floods cost $10 billion

ISLAMABAD, Aug 30 (Agencies): Early estimates put the damage from Pakistan's recent deadly floods at more than $10 billion, its planning minister said on Monday, adding the world has an obligation to help the South Asian nation cope with the effects of man-made climate change.
Unprecedented flash floods caused by historic monsoon rains have washed away roads, crops, infrastructure and bridges, killing at least 1,000 people in recent weeks and affecting more than 33 million, over 15% of the country's 220 million population.
The climate change minister has called the situation a "climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions."
"I think it is going to be huge. So far, (a) very early, preliminary estimate is that it is big, it is higher than $10 billion," Ahsan Iqbal told Reuters in an interview.
"So far we have lost 1,000 human lives. There is damage to almost nearly one million houses," Iqbal said at his office.
Meanwhile, PTI chairman Imran Khan Monday held an international telethon for flood affectees in the country and during three hours long telethon, the former prime minister collected Rs5bn, Geo News reported.
During the telethon, several celebrities joined Imran Khan. Chief Minister of Punjab Pervaiz Elahi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan and the former premier's ex-assistant on social protection Sania Nishtar also featured in the telethon.
According to Senator Faisal Javed Khan, who moderated the event, the former prime minister collected over Rs5 billion in donations in a three-hour long flood telethon.
During the live telethon, PTI chairman Imran Khan said entire Pakistan had been affected by the floods generated by back-to-back monsoon rains. "More than 1,000 people have died due to devastating floods and the damages are expected to cross Rs1,000 billion," he said.