Aid groups are warning of an escalating crisis in flood-ravaged Pakistan as the United Nations continues to appeal for emergency aid. Flood waters are heading south through the Indus River, and more flood barriers and dams have collapsed, threatening more Pakistanis with displacement. At the United Nations, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi appealed to a special session of the General Assembly for greater international assistance.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi: “Our commitment and our resolve notwithstanding, the scale of the challenge is colossal, far too big for any developing country to handle alone. We hope that the international community will come forward in all earnestness. We trust that we shall be provided with the much-needed support to augment our national relief and rescue efforts.”

The United Nations says just 60 percent of its $460 million emergency appeal has been met. But in a new statement, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said the figure is outdated because the scale of the disaster has drastically grown in the more than one week since the appeal was made. Addressing the UN Assembly, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US will increase its pledges to $150 million.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “With a new pledge that I am making today of $60 million, the United States will be contributing more than $150 million toward emergency flood relief. Approximately $92 million of that total is in direct support of the UN relief plan. These funds are being used to provide critical supplies and support operations of the Pakistan National Disaster Management Authority and other organizations inside Pakistan.”

Some 20 million people have been affected by the flooding, including over four million left homeless. The death toll stands at over 1,600 but could increase.