The UN is appealing for $160m (£136m) in emergency funding to help Pakistan deal with devastating floods.
More than 1,150 people have died and almost half a million displaced due to the disaster.
“Pakistan is awash in suffering,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a video message to launch the appeal.
“Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids…people’s hopes and dreams have been dashed.”
The floods have affected more than 33 million people, or one in seven Pakistanis.
The Pakistani authorities, with the support of the army, rescuers and volunteers, have been fighting the consequences of the floods.
Although the rains stopped three days ago and flood waters have receded in some areas, large areas remain under water.
Rescue workers were evacuating stranded people to safer ground, including makeshift tent camps that have sprung up along highways, towns and cities.
Initial government estimates put the devastation at $10m (£8.5m) in damage to the economy, but Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that was an estimate preliminary and that the actual cost will be “much higher”. .
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2:23 Laura Bundock looks at some of the reasons for the current massive flooding in Pakistan and what it could mean for the country’s future.
On Monday, the International Monetary Fund’s executive board approved the release of $1.17 billion (£1 billion) for Pakistan.
It is part of a bailout deal the IMF and Pakistan signed in 2019, but the release of a $1.17 billion tranche had been halted this year after the IMF raised concerns on Pakistan’s compliance with the terms of the agreement under Imran Khan’s government.
Last week, the UN allocated $3m (£2.5m) for aid agencies and their partners to respond to the floods, with the money used for health services, nutrition , food security, water and sanitation.
Pakistan’s Climate Minister Sherry Rehman said on Monday that new monsoons were expected in September.
Although monsoons are common this time of year in the region, they arrived earlier than usual in Pakistan, officials said.
Image: All of Pakistan has been affected by the recent floods
Last week’s massive rains affected almost the entire country, and while Pakistan is used to monsoon rains and floods, Ms Rehman said, this was not the case.
The floods have the hallmarks of a natural disaster fueled by climate change, but it is too early to blame global warming, experts say.
“This year, Pakistan has received the highest rainfall in at least three decades. So far this year, rainfall is more than 780% above average levels,” said Abid Qaiyum Suleri, executive director of the Institute for Sustainable Development Policy and member. of the Pakistan Climate Change Council.
“Extreme weather patterns are becoming more frequent in the region and Pakistan is no exception.”
Image: A man swims in flood waters as he heads for higher ground in Charsadda
Pakistan suffered similar floods and devastation in 2010 that killed nearly 2,000 people, but the government failed to implement plans to prevent future floods by preventing construction and housing in flood-prone areas and riverbeds, Suleri said. .
Floods and monsoon rains have damaged a million homes and affected 33 million people and reflect how poorer nations can often pay the price for climate change largely caused by more industrialized nations.
Since 1959, Pakistan is responsible for only 0.4% of the world’s historical CO2 emissions, while the US is responsible for 21.5%, China 16.5% and the EU 15%.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority, at least 498,000 people in the country of 220 million are in relief camps after being displaced.
Image: Almost half a million people have been displaced due to the floods
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Many more displaced victims are believed to be living with relatives, friends or in the open, without shelter.
Pakistan began receiving international aid this week and more planes carrying aid from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates landed at an airport near Islamabad on Tuesday, according to a military statement.
He said Chinese planes carrying aid would arrive later on Tuesday and 6,500 Pakistani military personnel had been deployed to assist authorities in rescue and relief operations.