Pakistan floods: Survivors share their stories of 'judgement day'

A year on he and his friends play their country's favourite sport, on a dusty flat between fields of recovering crops.

Arslan recalled: "When the rains came last year, our house collapsed, the walls fell in. Our cattle died. People were going through a really difficult time.

11-year-old Arslan (Image: Disasters Emergency Committee)

"We could not get food like vegetables or rice or oil. I love to eat bhindi but nothing like that was available. The water had some dead fish in it but we were scared to get sick if we ate that. Even flour was so expensive.

"Our school was damaged and we were really worried that we would not be able to continue our education. I remember the rains reached as high as my neck.

"Sometimes we would go to sleep hungry as there was no choice. I had never seen so much rain in my life. I felt really scared, I didn’t know what would happen.

"I was at home with my family and I felt scared that the roof would fall on us - even now the house has not been rebuilt. I don’t remember what my parents were saying, whether they wanted to leave or not, I can’t remember much from that time and I don’t want to talk about it much.

"We didn’t leave the village because there was too much water on the routes out of the village. We were living in a tent after the rains and we continue to live there now. We would just sit around all day while it was raining. My siblings and I would pray or read the Quran. We just tried to get through the day. We felt bored and scared.

Read More: Why Humza Yousaf is proud of his Pakistani heritage

"The water was so dirty, our parents told us very strictly not to go into it. People around us were getting infections and their skin was itchy. I got malaria as there were so many mosquitoes after the rains. I think I was unwell for six days or so. My parents had to travel far to take me to a doctor, we had to travel quite far and take a different route as the roads to the village were quite bad."

When a natural disaster strikes it's not just the immediate effects which devastate communities.

Arslan and his family struggled to feed themselves due to the impact on crops and animals, something farmer Maula Dino knows only too well.

Pakistani farmer Maula Dino (Image: Disasters Emergency Committee)

He said: "During the floods, I felt like we were witnessing Judgement Day.

"Everything was destroyed in the water. The cotton crops we had sown, the animals… we lost it all.

"It became impossible to earn a living after the rains. There was no cultivable land as it was all inundated and we could not grow any crops for the season. Labourers had nowhere to work. We were at the mercy of the Lord, and survived by doing odd jobs.

"I had to sell the animals that had survived the rains. I became very sick with malaria – my children did too.

"By the time the water dried, the land was barren and unusable. We did not have the funds to plough the land or purchase the seed. The situation was so dire that I gave up. I felt like I would never be able to use the land again."

Read More: Millions in Pakistan lack safe water months after devastating floods, warns UN

Thanks to the work of organisations such as the Disasters Emergency Committee though, farmers like Mr Dino and children like Arslan are slowly rebuilding their lives.

An appeal by the group, made up of 15 UK charities, raised £48m throughout the UK, £4.8m from Scotland which included £900k from the Scottish Government.

That allowed the organisation to set up temporary schools, provide fertliser and seeds, educate farmers on more effective growing techniques and ensure people in Pakistan have clear, running water.

Arslan said: "They gave us books and supplies. They set up a place where we could play games like Carom and Ludo. We played football and cricket. Now we are able to continue studying with ease.

"I remember my first day at the tent school. I was so happy, I felt like my dream of becoming a police officer was still possible. I have thought about that for a while and when it felt like we would not receive an education, I thought I would lose that and I would have to do manual labour to earn a living like most of the people in the village.

"We spend our day peacefully and happily. We then go home to do homework. We go to the child-friendly space and play games then. It feels like I relax there, I am busy and focus on winning. I like playing cricket and football.

"I have had a dream for some time of becoming a police officer. I want to help people. I know that the big people (rich people) steal their rights and I want to make sure that this doesn’t happen. I like the idea of justice."

Huw Owen from the DEC in Scotland said: “The past year has seen some devastating humanitarian crises, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria and of course the huge floods that continue to affect millions in Pakistan. 

"The generosity of so many people across Scotland is inspiring so we not only want to say a huge thanks to everyone that has supported the work of our 15 member charities but we want show how much difference those donations have made and continue to make to the most vulnerable families and communities in Pakistan.”

First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “Last September more than 1,000 people, including hundreds of children, lost their lives and over 30 million people were affected by devastating floods in Pakistan. The floods have millions of people without homes and lives and livelihoods were destroyed. 

“In response, we have provided £1.5 million in humanitarian support for the people of Pakistan. Of this, £900,000 was allocated to the Disasters Emergency Committee Appeal and £100,000 of this was split between Mercy Corps and the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, as members of our Humanitarian Emergency Fund Panel.

“Our existing British Council Pakistan Women and Girls Scholarships Programme received the remaining £500,000 to support women and girls in the worst flood-affected areas to continiue with their education as we know that the impact of a crisis too often affects women and girls.”