Assistance for Flood-Stricken Communities

In Pakistan, UN Chief Urges Rapid Assistance for Flood-Stricken Communities

New York, Aug 15 2010 1:10PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for the rapid delivery of assistance for millions of people in flood-stricken Pakistan, as he saw for himself the devastation wrought by the recent disaster.

Mr. Ban arrived in the South Asian nation to demonstrate the support of the United Nations and the international community in the wake of what has been called the country's worst disaster in living memory, having claimed more than 1,200 lives and leaving at least 2 million homeless. "I'm here to see what is going on? I'm here also to urge the world community to speed up their assistance to the Pakistani people," the Secretary-General told reporters on arrival.

An estimated 14 million people have been affected by the floods, which began late last month in the wake of particularly heavy monsoon rains and which have destroyed homes, farmland and major infrastructure in large parts of the country, most notably the north-west province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK).

Before touring the affected areas by helicopter, Mr. Ban met separately with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, and expressed the solidarity of the UN with the Government and people of Pakistan and offered immediate and longer-term support.

Last week the UN and its partners announced they are seeking almost $460 million to help Pakistan tackle the needs of flood-affected families, including food, clean drinking water, tents and other shelter and non-food items, as well as medical supplies.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported yesterday that although the scale of the disaster continues to expand, just 20 per cent -- some $93 million -- of the funding requirements set out in the Pakistan Initial Floods Response Emergency Plan have so far been covered.

It added that ensuring access to clean water remains a top priority as rates of diarrhoeal disease continue to increase in affected areas.

"We have a huge task in front of us to deliver all that is required as soon as possible," UN humanitarian chief John Holmes had stated at the launch of the floods response plan.

"The death toll has so far been relatively low compared to other major natural disasters, but the numbers affected are extraordinarily high. If we don't act fast enough, many more people could die of diseases and food shortages."

ENDS

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