"There was no rain a few months back and there was a severe shortage of water for crops. We prayed for rain," he said. "But when it rained, we became homeless and our crops were destroyed. We have nothing left ... just oceans on roads, on farms and submerging our homes."
Pakistan has been battered by extremes of weather since the start of the year, with deadly heatwaves sending temperatures above 50C in the spring, followed by wildfires and droughts. But the floods that have left a third of the country's provinces underwater have brought a new level of human misery - and a glimpse into the apocalyptic impact of the climate emergency in one of the countries least responsible for causing it.
"I have seen many humanitarian disasters in the world, but I have never seen climate carnage on this scale," said the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, on a visit to Pakistan earlier this month. "I have simply no words to describe what I have seen today."
The record monsoon that began in mid-June has devastated much of the country, with some areas receiving more than eight times more rain than usual. Torrents of water smashed through entire villages, destroying thousands of houses and 18,000 sq km of agricultural land has been swept away, along with roads and bridges.
In Sindh, which produces half the country's food, 90% of crops are ruined and an inland lake 100km wide stretches to the horizon after the Indus river burst its banks.
So far, the flood is estimated to have killed at least 1,400 people, with many tens of millions more losing their homes and their livelihoods. Huge financial costs - totalling $30bn so far - will further hit Pakistan's economy.
Denne historien er fra September 23, 2022-utgaven av The Guardian Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra September 23, 2022-utgaven av The Guardian Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Starlink's conquest of the Amazon leaves Brazil in a dilemma
The helicopter swooped into one of the most inaccessible corners of the Amazon rainforest. Brazilian special forces commandos leaped from it into the caiman-inhabited waters below.
Dalai Lama's mountain town feels the strain of tourist boom
SUVs and saloon cars pass slowly along McLeod Ganj's narrow one-way Jogiwara Road, blaring horns at pedestrians and scooter riders and playing loud music.
'I am all the world' The brutal rule of a West Bank settler
Palestinians tell ofblacklisted Yakov's reign across the Jabal Salman valley and heisjust one of many violent bosses
Stormy waters New flashpoint emerges in South China Sea dispute
Hopes that tensions in the South China Sea might ease have been short lived.
'Justice delayed' Why trust in public inquiries to bring closure is fading
After the final report of the Grenfell fire inquiry was published, Hisam Choucair, who lost six family members in the blaze, said: \"We did not ask for this inquiry... It's delayed the justice my family deserves.\"
Celeriac soup with almond pangrattato
I'm not ashamed to say that as soon as September hits, my stick blender comes out. Just as I embrace salads when the clocks go forward in the UK, I wholeheartedly throw myself into soup season once the summer holidays end. Autumn is approaching in the northern hemisphere and I'm ready with my ladle. Celeriac is one of my favourite soup heroes, because it gives the creamiest, silkiest finish with little effort. You don't have to make the almond pangrattato, but it is a wonderful addition.
Are smoke signals telling me to make an oil change in the kitchen?
Should you that is, not can you) cook with extra-virgin olive oil? Antonio, Atlanta, Georgia, US
Going underground
A darkly humorous encounter between an American spy-cop and the members ofan eco-commune she is hired to infiltrate
All work and no play
Hard Graft, a powerfulnew London exhibition, focuses onworkers’ exploitation, from the ruined hands ofa washerwoman to mothers forced to sell their bodies
What the princess and the shaman tell us about hereditary privilege
It should have been an Instagram-perfect wedding image, but it turned out to be something more embarrassing.
