News
UN pledges $100,000 for Pakistan flood victimsISLAMABAD, Feb 14 : The United Nations has pledged immediate initial support worth $ 100,000, comprising relief items, to the national relief efforts undertaken in flood-hit areas of Balochistan. The same would be delivered to the relevant government authorities over the next few days.
In response to the humanitarian crisis in Pasni, the United Nations Disaster Management Team (UNDMT) also formulated an emergency relief assessment mission, which will coordinate with the federal, provincial as well as district authorities in Gwadar and Pasni to determine the emergency relief requirements. The rains caused the Shadi Kor dam to burst on Thursday, flooding Pasni township and adjoining areas.
As an immediate step, Unicef is rushing a truckload of relief items including 110 cartons of emergency food rations, 3,000 blankets and sweaters, 8,000 water purification sachets, 30 cartons of emergency water filters and 2,000 water containers. These items will be handed over to the relief distribution authorities in Bela, Balochistan.
The UNDP is contributing $ 30,000 worth of tents and blankets courtesy the UN Office of the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs. Also, the WHO will contribute $ 25,000 worth of emergency medical supplies for the affected population.
The UNHCR will contribute $20,000 in the form of tents and other shelter items, which will be delivered to the affectees in Pasni and Gwadar. Efforts are under way to mobilise further resources from the United Nations system for the flood affectees of Balochistan.
National and international NGOs, including Focus Humanitarian, Islamic Relief, OXFAM, Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and FRCR joined the UNDMT meeting to review the emerging humanitarian needs of the affected population. The meeting was appreciative of national response, including relief efforts of the federal, provincial and district authorities.
PRCS has already dispatched 500 tents, 700 blankets, 1,000 tarpaulin sheets and over 40 tonnes of food, including flour, rice, lentils and sugar. It was agreed that there would be enhanced coordination between NGOs and UN agencies during the crisis in order to avoid duplication and improve efficiency of the relief efforts in support of the government authorities and the national response.
UN Resident Coordinator Onder Yucer said a team of experts from the UN agencies, led by Unicef and including WHO, WFP and UNDP, will undertake a rapid assessment mission to the area in order to review the emergency humanitarian needs of the people.
Due to the disruption of transport and communications in the affected areas, relief efforts have been hampered and the scale of losses is still uncertain. Country Director of WHO Dr Khalif Bile said over the next few days we may see the emergence of serious health problems among the population in the affected areas. He warned that infectious and waterborne diseases could spread rapidly and relief planning should bear this in mind. He confirmed that the WHO would be ready to help establish a disease early warning system in the area to ensure that health risks to the population of Pasni and surrounding areas are minimized.