Claimants seek compensation from RWE and Heidelberg Materials after extreme flooding destroyed harvests
A group of Pakistani farmers whose livelihoods were devastated by floods three years ago has fired the starting shot in legal action against two of Germany’s most polluting companies.
Lawyers acting for 43 men and women from the Sindh region sent the energy firm RWE and the cement producer Heidelberg formal letters before action on Tuesday warning of their intention to sue later this year.
Pakistan was the nation most affected by extreme weather events in 2022, according to the global Climate Risk Index. That summer, extreme rains flooded one-third of the country, killing at least 1,700 people, displacing 33 million people, destroying vast tracts of farmland and causing economic losses of up to $30bn.
The Sindh region bore the heaviest toll, with many districts remaining underwater for over a year. During this time the claimants saw their entire land flooded, and lost at least two rice and wheat harvests. They estimate the total damage at €1m, for which they want an acknowledgment of liability and some degree of compensation from the two companies. If they do not get this, they plan to go to court in December.
