Angelina Jolie set to visit flood-ravaged Pakistan to 'witness and gain understanding' of humanitarian crisis considered 'worst disaster of this decade'

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Published on Wednesday, 30 November -0001 00:00

Written by Daily mail

           Angelina Jolie is set for yet another humanitarian effort as she will be visiting Pakistan which has been ravaged by floods amid a devastating humanitarian crisis. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said in a statement on Monday that the 47-year-old actress will be arriving in the South Asian country to draw attention to the natural disaster which is threatening the lives of millions. Jolie 'is visiting to witness and gain understanding of the situation, and to hear from people affected directly about their needs, and about steps to prevent such suffering in the future,' according to the statement.The floods were caused by a record of monsoon rains and melting glaciers in Pakistan's northern mountain regions which have submerged a third of the country's land.The death toll from the deluge itself has touched 1,559, including 551 children and 318 women, which does not include the disease deaths, the country's disaster management agency said. An intense and long monsoon dumped around three times as much rain on Pakistan than on average in recent weeks, flooded large swathes of the country. The torrential monsoon was a one in a hundred-year event likely made more intense by climate change, scientists say. Pakistan's minister for climate change Sherry Rehman described the situation as 'the worst humanitarian disaster of this decade.' As they are asking for urgent international help in providing food, tents, and medicines, Jolie will visit the IRC's response operations and local organizations which are assisting the displaced people.  The statement said that the A-lister 'will see first hand how countries like Pakistan are paying the greatest cost for a crisis they did not cause. 'The IRC hopes her visit will shed light on this issue and prompt the international community – particularly states contributing the most to carbon emissions – to act and provide urgent support to countries bearing the brunt of the climate crisis.'This will be Jolie's third visit to the country according to the IRC as she had visited in 2005 and 2010 following natural disasters. On Tuesday it was reported that at least nine more people died from water-borne diseases that have attacked tens of thousands of displaced people living in areas devastated by the Pakistan floods, officials said, warning they risked losing control of the spread of infections. Hundreds of people may have died from diseases spreading after the flooding, authorities in the southern Sindh region said, with villagers there saying potable water shortages meant they were drinking and cooking with flood water. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the 'wave of disease and death' has a 'potential for a second disaster' following the flooding.Standing water enables mosquitoes to breed and spread vector- borne diseases such as malaria and dengue, it said. As flood waters spread over hundreds of kilometers start to recede, which officials say may take two to six months, stagnant waters have led to diseases like malaria, dengue fever, diarrhoea and skin problems, mainly in Sindh - the worst hit by the floods. The Sindh provincial government said nine people died of gastroenteritis, acute diarrhoea and suspected malaria on Monday. It has reported a total of 318 deaths from diseases since July 1. The report said over 72,000 patients were treated on Monday at makeshift or mobile hospitals set up in flood-hit regions. Over 2.7 million people have been treated at these facilities since July 1, the report said.Jolie is as known for her humanitarian efforts as she is her acting due to all the work she has done over decades including in Cambodia. Jolie's family has strong ties to the country as she adopted eldest child Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt, 21, from the country and even founded a non-profit charity organization dedicated to environmental security, improving health, and creating peace and stability in all communities in his name called the Maddox Jolie-Pitt (MJP) Foundation.Angelina first witnessed the effects of the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Cambodia while filming 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. She later bought a home in the country in 2003 in order to connect son Maddox with his heritage in an area which had become infiltrated with poachers and threatened endangered species so she purchased it and turned it into a wildlife reserve paving the way for the MJP foundation. In recognition of her conservation efforts King Norodom Sihamoni awarded her Cambodian citizenship on July 31, 2005.Jolie has also served more than two decades as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador for over two decades.

 source : Daily mail