UNICEF NZ (UN Children’s Fund)

Media Release

UNICEF provides life-saving supplies for millions of people in Pakistan floods

UNICEF is providing life-saving supplies to the millions of people, many of them children, affected by severe flooding in northern Pakistan.

The devastating floods – the worst in 80 years – have affected an estimated 3.2 million people, including 1.4 million children.

UNICEF Pakistan Representative, Martin Mogwanja, says the biggest threat is the out-break of water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera, that are especially deadly to children.

“We have already received reports of cases of diarrhoea amongst children,” says Mr Mogwanja.

“Food, clean drinking water, health supplies, high energy biscuits, clothing for women and children and vaccines, are all needed urgently.”

UNICEF has already provided hygiene kits, water tankers and high energy biscuits. It has repaired 73 tube-wells benefitting 800,000 people and supported the set up of 24 medical camps, similar to field hospitals, benefitting an estimated one million people.

“We will be bringing in more emergency humanitarian supplies over the next days during this critical life-saving period.”

The flooding has caused widespread destruction of infrastructure with roads submerged and bridges swept away. Power lines are down and damage has been done to hospitals, schools and sanitation systems. In one district, UNICEF reported that 80 per cent of the drinking wells had been destroyed. Many families are camping out in schools and other building located on higher ground.

"There has been widespread damage to crops and loss of livestock. In a largely agricultural region, this is causing food scarcity and will have negative implications for the future. We could be looking at a long-term humanitarian operation to first save lives and then assist with the recovery of those affected regions.”

The impact of the flooding comes on top of recent conflict in north-western Pakistan that adversely affected more than 2.7 million people last year and severely impacted access to safe water supplies.

UNICEF has been working in Pakistan since 1948 and has 283 staff on the ground, including 60 in the worst-hit area of Khyber Pukhtoonkhawa.

UNICEF is also distributing emergency assistance in flood-hit parts of central and eastern parts of Afghanistan, ensuring that the urgent needs of children are met.

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