Red Cross appeals international community to do more to help Pakistan flood victims

[News_Editor]

Red Cross appeals international community to do more to help Pakistan flood victims

2010-10-16 00:00:28 GMT+7 (ICT)

GENEVA (BNO NEWS) -- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Friday appealed to the international community to act swiftly to ensure that millions of flood victims in Pakistan won't starve to death this winter.

The floods in Pakistan, which began in July following heavy monsoon rains, have already killed more than 2,000 people and affected more than 21 million others. Many people remain without shelter and are in urgent need of assistance.

At a Red Cross Red Crescent donor meeting for Pakistan hosted by the Qatar Red Crescent Society in Doha, representatives from twenty National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from around the world gathered to discuss and develop a plan of action to help the Pakistan Red Crescent Society support the immediate and long term recovery needs of more than 2 million people over the next two years.

"Unlike an earthquake, this is a slow onset disaster and the full effects may not be known for months to come," said Bekele Geleta, secretary general of the IFRC. "The emergency is not over by any stretch, we will have to be ready to extend humanitarian assistance into flood ravaged areas of Pakistan well into next year."

The floods have led to a variety of humanitarian challenges across different regions of the country. In the mountainous north, people are facing a winter without adequate shelter. In the plains of Punjab, massive crop damage to the agricultural heartland of Pakistan will have devastating consequences for poor farmers and in the southern province of Sindh, 1.4 million people remain displaced in temporary camps, unable to return home because the land they depend on remains submerged.

More than 5.5 million acres of arable farmland have been have damaged or destroyed. The majority of farmers will miss the autumn sowing season, resulting in crops not being harvested for almost a full year since the onset of this disaster. Across Pakistan malnutrition rates amongst the population have risen to 14 per cent and an estimated 30-50% of children arriving at health facilities have shown symptoms of acute malnutrition.

"We have already managed to reach 1 million people with food and have scaled up our response in order to support hundreds of thousands of families over the next six months with food, shelter, medical care and improved access to clean water and sanitation," explains Senator Nilofer Bakhtiar, chairperson of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, adding, "helping communities to recover requires a long term commitment. Our volunteers were amongst the first to reach the flood-affected areas and will be the last to leave."

To date, only 64 percent of the IFRC's emergency appeal of 75.8 million Swiss francs (USD 72.5 million or EUR 56.3 million) has been covered by donors. With the scale of devastation in Pakistan still coming into focus, the IFRC's appeal is likely to be increased in order to meet the emerging needs.

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