UN mounts system-wide response to devastating floods in Pakistan

With parts of Pakistan struggling to cope with the floods and mudslides caused by torrential monsoon rains, the United Nations has mounted a major response to help provide food, medical supplies and clean water to what they fear may be thousands of people left stranded throughout the region.

According to an update today from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), southern and southwestern parts of Pakistan have been devastated by floods following excessive monsoon rains during the last two weeks in July - especially the second round of storms that hit on 22 July. Sindh and Balochistan are the bearing the brunt of the damage, but the North Western Frontier Province has also been had hit. According to the media more than 230 people have died since rains began.

Citing preliminary reports from the Provincial Government of Sindh's Relief Department, OCHA said the floods have affected a total of 390,469 people in 1,407 villages. A total of 88 people have died as a result of the floods and 321 have been injured. The rains destroyed 11,699 homes while 21,063 others have been partially damaged. According to the latest reports, 9,110 heads of cattle have perished and 229,931 acres of cropped area have been affected.

OCHA has made available an emergency grant of $50,000 for purchase of shelter materials. In addition to earlier delivery of oral rehydration salt packets, water purification tablets and jerry cans delivered by other UN agencies, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has initiated further procurement of jerry cans and water purification tablets.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has begun purchasing $200,000 worth of food supplies for distribution to some 240,000 beneficiaries in the Thatta, Badin, and Tharparkar districts. Half of the food supplies are being directed to Badin, which has been hit the hardest in that area.

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has allocated $50,000 for coordination, monitoring and logistics support of relief activities in Sindh. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) is providing 50,000 water purification tablets and 50,000 packets of ORS. The agency estimates that the requirements of medical supplies both of Sindh and Balochistan will cost over $1 million, and has appealed to donors for necessary funds.