The situation could worsen even further in coming days
Charities are calling for urgent aid for flood-stricken Pakistan, following unprecedented floods which have killed over 1000 people and displaced over 33 million.
A quarter of the country is underwater, equal to the geographic area of Great Britain.
More than eleven million children are among those displaced after the worst flooding to hit Pakistan in decades destroyed homes, with the race now on to prevent the loss of more lives.
More than 690,000 homes have been damaged by the floods, with the government of Pakistan estimating that about 14% of the population have been severely impacted.
More than 1,000 people, including 348 children, have died and a further 1,500 have been injured since the crisis began. The floods and torrential rains are being blamed on worsening weather patterns as a result of the climate crisis, with Pakistan ranked as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change.
Charities such as Human Appeal and Save The Children are hard at work on the ground – but they are warning the situation could worsen even further
The scale of this humanitarian emergency is unprecedented and beyond the expectations of all NGOs.
However, with further monsoon rains set to fall shortly in the region, alongside glacier meltwater due to climate change and India set to open its own floodgates in efforts to mitigate rainfall, the situation in Pakistan is set to dramatically worsen in the coming days.
Some major rivers have breached their banks and major dams have overflowed, destroying homes, farms and essential infrastructure including roads, hospitals and schools.
Through Human Appeal’s field office in Pakistan, along with its partners and collaborating humanitarian organisations, aid has begun to be delivered to some 362,564 people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan.
The NGO aims to raise £10 million from both private and business donors to reach as many vulnerable people as possible in Pakistan’s worst hit areas. The humanitarian aid includes flood relief, and Human Appeal’s initial response has already distributed over 4000 hot meals, hygiene kits and other emergency assistance within remote areas at some of the worst hit regions. Human Appeal’s special project coordinators have already arrived from the UK to support its field office on the ground in Pakistan.
Save the Children has mobilised its humanitarian response teams across the worst affected areas of Shikarpur and Jacobabad, with emergency responders distributing temporary shelters, household kits including pots and pans, dignity kits for teenage girls, and food packs to families.
The international NGO is already operating in the worst affected provinces and deploying teams to other hardest hit areas to assess the immediate needs of children and families. Save the Children has so far reached more 11,000 people, including about 5,800 children, through responses to flooding and is working closely with National and Provincial Disaster Management Authorities.
Meanwhile, Glasgow charity the Sarwar Foundation is aiming to provide 100,000 ration packs to displaced families.
It says a donation of £30 will provide a ration pack for a family of six for a whole month.
To donate to Human Appeal’s efforts, click here.
To help Save The Children, go here.
For the Sarwar Foundation’s appeal, go here.
