Islamabad: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday visited several areas of Pakistan ravaged by floods, calling for increased global financial support at the end of a two-day trip. Pakistan has been facing continuous rainfall since the last four months.

Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in the northern mountains caused floods, killing more than 1,391 people and destroying homes, roads, railway tracks, bridges, livestock and crops.

Pakistan estimates the damage at $30 billion, and both the government and Guterres have blamed the flooding on climate change.

"Today it's Pakistan, tomorrow it could be your country wherever you live. This is a global crisis ... it requires a global response," Guterres told a news conference at the end of his visit.

Large areas of the country are still under water, forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. The government says the lives of about 33 million people have been disrupted.

The country and health workers are concerned about the rising number of children suffering from gastroenteritis and other illnesses, with many people forced to drink contaminated water as floods cut off access to clean water.

Speaking to reporters later in the southern city of Karachi, Guterres said the international community needed to do more to help countries hit hardest by the effects of climate change, starting with Pakistan.

"I have seen many disasters around the world but I have never seen climate carnage of this scale," he said.

"Recovery and reconstruction must be climate resilient, it must start as soon as possible," said Knut Ostby, U.N. Development Program Resident Representative in Pakistan told Reuters in a statement.

In July and August, Pakistan got 391 mm (15.4 inches) of rain, or nearly 190% more than the 30-year average. The southern province of Sindh has seen 466% more rain than average.
-Reuters