| Pakistan Flood Relief: USAID statistics |
By USAID, Pakistan Share  
Related NewsUSAID Pakistan Flood Relief fact sheet, Aug. 23 KEY DEVELOPMENTS The Government of Pakistan (GoP) Provincial and National Disaster Management Authorities have raised the number of flood-affected people to nearly 17.2 million, including approximately 10 million in need of humanitarian assistance. Authorities report that a second wave of flooding moving southward has affected Sindh Province resulting in evacuations from Thatta and Shahdadkot districts in recent days, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The Sindh Provincial Disaster Management Authority (SPDMA) estimates that flooding has affected nearly 3.7 million people in the province. Approximately 600,000 to 700,000 people are reportedly residing in camps or public buildings in Sindh, according to the SPDMA. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPk) Province, flood waters continue to recede and flood assistance is spreading to previously inaccessible areas. Authorities reopened the road from Khwazakhela to Besham in Swat District for light traffic on August 22. On August 23, USAID/OFDA committed more than $1.26 million to a non-governmental organization (NGO) for logistics and relief commodities and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) activities for flood-affected populations in Punjab and KPk provinces. USAID/OFDA also committed $3 million to the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) to support health, shelter, and WASH activities in flood-affected areas on August 18. 2010 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PLANNED AND PROVIDED TO DATE USAID/OFDA Assistance to Pakistan .............$70,210,901 USAID/FFP1 Assistance to Pakistan ...............$51,539,099 USAID/Pakistan Assistance to Pakistan............$12,000,000 State/PRM2.....................................................$16,250,000 Total USAID and State Humanitarian Assistance to Pakistan: $150,000,000 CONTEXT Heavy rainfall that began on July 22 and subsequent flooding in multiple regions of Pakistan have affected nearly 17.2 million people and resulted in more than 1,500 deaths nationwide, according to the NDMA. In addition, NDMA reports that floods have affected 71 of Pakistan’s 122 districts, and approximately half of the affected population requires humanitarian assistance. On July 30, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson issued a disaster declaration in response to damage resulting from the floods. Shelter and Settlements Authorities in Sindh Province report more than 1,800 relief camps and makeshift settlements housing more than 700,000 people in the province, mainly centered around schools buildings. U.N. Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams surveyed settlements in several districts and report that while district authorities provided cooked food in some locations, shelter, health, and WASH services were minimal. SPDMA has requested U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) support to manage one organized camp in each province, according to OCHA. USAID/OFDA grantees continue to conduct health, shelter, protection, and WASH activities in Sindh Province. Health and WASH On August 23, Lt. General (R) Nadeem Ahmed, head of the NDMA, reported that health facilities have recorded increased cases of acute watery diarrhea (AWD) in KPk Province, but that the current caseload remains manageable. On August 18, approximately 2,300 patients, or 15 percent of total consultations, reportedly had AWD in KPk Province, representing the first time AWD accounted for less than 16 percent of patient consultations since August 8. Prior to the floods, AWD cases accounted for 12 percent of patient consultations in KPk. The GoP Ministry of Health (MoH) has established a taskforce to plan and coordinate life-saving health interventions in response to a growing concern about the spread of diseases. At the first meeting on August 20, the taskforce formulated a plan to strengthen existing government disease surveillance systems in affected areas. In addition, the MoH launched a health volunteer program to increase the number of medical staff working in floodaffected areas. The program will support the deployment of four-member teams—including a doctor, nurse, public health professional, and paramedic—for 15 days to the 50 most affected communities. As of August 22, the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) had distributed enough emergency health kits for 2.2 million people, including 151,550 people in Baluchistan Province; 18,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan Province; 1 million in KPk Province; 426,000 in Punjab Province; and 550,000 in Sindh Province. In addition, WHO reported sufficient stock of emergency health kits for an additional 3 to 4 million people for two months. According to OCHA, relief agencies are providing safe drinking water for approximately 2 million individuals through the repair of 500 water supply schemes in KPk, Sindh, and Punjab provinces and water trucking using 87 trucks. In addition, humanitarian organizations are supporting municipal authorities by providing 380 sanitation workers and 50 tractors in KPk for removal of garbage and animal carcasses, according to OCHA. USAID/OFDA water purification units have provided approximately 4.8 million liters of safe drinking water for flood-affected populations in KPk Province since August 8. Emergency Food Assistance To date, NGOs in coordination with the Food Cluster—the coordinating body for emergency food activities led by the U.N. World Food Program (WFP)—have provided 24,000 metric tons (MT) of emergency food assistance to more than 1.8 million people. Food assistance provided under the WFP emergency operation accounts for approximately 75 percent of total food assistance provided to date—approximately 18,000 MT benefitting 1.35 million individuals. According to WFP, relief agencies provide food assistance to 140,000 new beneficiaries each day. To date, FFP has provided $51.5 million in food assistance to support WFP's one-month food rations and to an implementing partner to support the distribution of food vouchers. On August 23, the Nutrition Cluster, UNICEF, WHO, and WFP, issued a joint statement strongly discouraging baby formula donations. Breast milk is recognized as the preferred food for babies as it is safe, hygienic, and readily available at no cost. Breast milk substitutes vary in quality and nutrition content and can be improperly mixed, easily contaminated through mixing with dirty water, or spoiled due to lack of refrigeration. Shelter Emergency shelter remains a critical priority for flood-affected populations. The NDMA reported that floods had damaged or destroyed more than 1.2 million houses, as of August 23. According to OCHA, Punjab and in Sindh provinces have the highest number of destroyed houses and there has been a notable increase in migration of affected persons in Sindh Province towards Sukkur City, Sindh Province. To date, relief agencies have distributed more than 109,500 tents and 72,200 units of plastic sheeting to more than 873,000 people. As of August 23, USAID/OFDA had provided 2,463 rolls of plastic sheeting for at least 73,890 people, including flood-affected populations in Sindh Province.Logistics and Relief Commodities According to WFP, three U.N. Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) helicopters arrived in Pakistan on August 22 and were deployed to Multan to transport food and emergency relief supplies to flood-affected populations in Punjab on August 23. Two additional helicopters are expected to arrive in Pakistan on August 24 to support the UNHAS operation, bringing the total number of UNHAS helicopters in country to five. The Logistics Cluster continues to work with the GoP to accelerate air operations from Abbottabad to areas in KPk Province that remain inaccessible by road. Agriculture and Food Security NDMA has begun to use satellite imagery and aerial photography to view damage to agricultural land in floodaffected areas. To date, NDMA estimates that floods have damaged 19,000 square kilometers of agricultural land, including approximately 10,000 square kilometers in Punjab Province. According to OCHA, floods have damaged or destroyed at least 3.2 million hectares of standing crops across the country. Loss of draught animal power and seeds, as well as damage to agricultural land and infrastructure, will cripple farmers’ production capacity for the September/October planting season. According to OCHA, floods have destroyed an estimated 500,000 to 600,000 MT of wheat seed stored at household levels. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization plans to provide 187,000 households with wheat seed, vegetable seed, and fertilizers for the September/October planting season. Relief agencies are currently conducting rapid agriculture sector damage assessments in Balochistan, Punjab, Sindh, and KPk provinces. PUBLIC DONATION INFORMATION The most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash contributions to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations. A list of humanitarian organizations that are accepting cash donations for flood response efforts in Pakistan can be found at www.interaction.org. Information on organizations responding to the humanitarian situation in Pakistan may be available at www.reliefweb.int. USAID encourages cash donations because they allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed (often in the affected region); reduce the burden on scarce resources (such as transportation routes, staff time, warehouse space,etc); can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster-stricken region; and ensure culturally, dietary, and environmentally appropriate assistance. More information can be found at: USAID: http://www.usaid.gov/pakistanflooding/ The Center for International Disaster Information: www.cidi.org or (703) 276-1914 Information on relief activities of the humanitarian community can be found at www.reliefweb.int http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/ |
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