Millions without help in Pakistan

2010-08-17 13:55

Sukkur – Many of about 20 million people affected by flooding in Pakistan have yet to receive any assistance despite a growing international relief effort, the UN said on Tuesday as authorities warned that the swollen Indus River may burst its banks again in coming days.

The country is reeling under one of its worst-ever natural disasters, testing the already shaky government just as the US wants it to focus on the war against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. About a fifth of the country has been affected since the floods began three weeks ago.

Local charities and international agencies have rushed food, water, shelter and medical treatment to the worst-hit areas in the northwest and Punjab and Sindh provinces. But aid agencies and the British government have complained that the international response to the disaster has not been generous enough.

The World Bank said it would provide $900m to Pakistan to help it rebuild from the floods. A bank statement said the money was being redirected from ongoing and planned projects in the country but did not say whether it was a loan or a gift.

Many victims are living in makeshift camps alongside their livestock or in flooded towns and villages.

Vast geographical extent of flood

"The vast geographical extent of the floods and affected populations meant that many people have yet to be reached with the assistance they desperately need," the UN said in a statement.

The world body also said the number of children and breast-feeding mothers affected and rising diarrhoea cases "point toward a clear risk of malnutrition among the affected population."

The floods have killed about 1 500 people and inundated 700 000 hectares of wheat, sugar cane and rice crops, raising the prospect of food shortages in the coming months in the already-poor nation. Prices of food have risen sharply across the country since the floods began.

Authorities in Sindh province said more floods were likely over the next 24 to 48 hours.

"The next two days are crucial for the safety of people," said Sindh's irrigation minister, Jam Saifullah Dharejo.

- AP