Pakistan is having a really rough time. Promenient NGOs have upped their concern to urgent need, citing nearly 1500 deaths and 2000 injuries, with doubtless more to come. The UN is trying desperately to intervene, trying to corral member nations into providing much-needed monies and aid to assist the thousands of people displaced by the seemingly endless flooding. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is continuing to appeal for aid on behalf of Pakistan as well.

“This has been a heart-wrenching day, and I will never forget the destruction and suffering that I have witnessed,” Ban told reporters Sunday after visiting some of the flood-hit areas.

The number of people affected by the disaster has reached nearly 20 million, Ban said.

“I have witnessed various disasters across the world, but nothing like this, as the scale of this disaster is so large that one out of every 10 Pakistanis has been affected,” he said.

“I am here also to urge the world community to speed up assistance to Pakistan.”

Ban said only 25 percent of the estimated $459 million in aid needed for initial relief efforts has arrived so far.

Ban announced an additional $10 million for the relief efforts, to come from the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund, bringing the total U.N. assistance to $27 million.

And to top it all off, over the weekend the first case of cholera was confirmed in Pakistan as well. Should the disease spread, it could further devastate an already suffering nation.

The Washington Post offers a resource on how to help. By all means do so.