UN: Pakistani floods affect some 2.5 million people

2011-10-15 08:58:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) on Friday announced that it has increased its humanitarian aid efforts in Pakistan, where some 2.5 million people have been affected by this year's floods.

Pakistan has been severely affected by floods for the second consecutive year, leaving more than five million people in need of safe drinking water, sanitation services, food, shelter materials and other essential support.

The UN World Food Program (WFP) has continued to scale up the delivery of vital assistance to the worst-affected areas of Pakistan's Sindh province. WFP said it had already provided food rations to 1.2 million people in eight districts of Sindh since the distributions started on September 12.

This aid includes the distribution of the locally-produced chick pea paste, Wawa Mum, to almost 136,000 children to help prevent and treat malnutrition. The current funding will allow WFP to continue its activities until the end of November, but the program requires urgent additional funds to ensure continued life-saving relief distributions for the most vulnerable victims.

Almost 20 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are working alongside with the agency, helping swiftly ship out food rations from warehouses to distribution points as it scales up deliveries.

In addition, the WFP, which is based in Rome, has deployed 14 boats to distribute relief aid to several districts that are also being used for mobile medical services and to assist in the rescue and evacuation of people who are cut off by the flood waters.

Last month, UN agencies and their partners launched the Pakistan Floods Rapid Response Plan to support the Government's efforts to address the immediate needs of up to 5.4 million flood-affected people for six months. So far the funding request has only received 18 percent of the $357 million required.

WFP said it has received $27 million in support of emergency food assistance activities for the current floods.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-10-15

Should countries that the Pakistani people have a high negative opinion of help here? In past disasters it didn't seem to matter to them.