OTTAWA – The federal government will match donations from Canadians to help the people of Pakistan experiencing a humanitarian emergency caused by severe flooding.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday that donations made by September 28 to any of the 12 relief organizations that make up the Humanitarian Alliance will be matched by Ottawa, up to a maximum of $3 million.

Canada will also send an additional $25 million to Pakistan to meet immediate needs and support development projects.

The heavy rains accompanying the monsoons over the past three months have inundated more than a third of the country. Providing food, water, wastewater treatment services and emergency health programs is now essential to the people of this country.

More than 33 million people in the country have been affected, and with much of the farmland inundated, the Pakistani government fears an imminent food shortage.

Canada’s International Development Minister, Harjit Sajjan, is currently in Pakistan to witness the scale of the humanitarian crisis and the humanitarian response on the ground.

“We cannot forget the people of Pakistan, especially the women and girls who have been disproportionately affected,” Minister Sajan said in a statement. We continue to look for other ways to continue our efforts to help those affected by this tragedy.”