DEC Appeal reaches £6m
THE Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has revealed that aid from its members has now reached over 500,000 survivors after the worst floods in Pakistan’s history.
The DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal has now raised £6 million pounds.
The flooding has now reached Sindh province, in southern Pakistan and hundreds of villages have been flooded. Reports say the protective bund at Torhi in the province’s north has been breached and several barrages and dams are under threat from floodwater.
The DEC’s member agencies have now distributed aid to a total of 545,000 people affected by the worst floods to hit the country in 80 years.
The disaster has already claimed the lives of 1,600 people and affected over 12 million. To date, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) in northwest Pakistan, has been hardest hit by the flooding. Almost 4 million people have been affected in this region including 1.5 million who have been made homeless. Further heavy rain is forecast in the province for at least the next three days.
Disasters Emergency Committee Chief Executive Brendan Gormley said: “With further monsoon rains expected over the next few days, it is clear that the situation for millions of people in Pakistan is going to get worse before it gets better. We are very concerned about reports that the Swat Valley has been cut off by mudslides which will hamper the relief effort.
“We still need people to keep giving because the flood waters are still spreading fast affecting millions of people.
“DEC member agencies and their partners have already reached over 500,000 people on the ground but with roads and bridges washed away and landslides blocking access to some areas the challenges we face are considerable. We urgently need the public’s help to save more lives.”
With reports of cholera cases in the Swat Valley one of the critical needs for those affected by the floods is clean drinking water. Even after flood waters subside, there is a risk from water-borne diseases and infections. The DEC’s member agencies have assisted more than 100,000 people by fixing water systems, trucking clean water and providing water purification tablets.
The DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal has now raised £6 million pounds.
The flooding has now reached Sindh province, in southern Pakistan and hundreds of villages have been flooded. Reports say the protective bund at Torhi in the province’s north has been breached and several barrages and dams are under threat from floodwater.
The DEC’s member agencies have now distributed aid to a total of 545,000 people affected by the worst floods to hit the country in 80 years.
The disaster has already claimed the lives of 1,600 people and affected over 12 million. To date, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) in northwest Pakistan, has been hardest hit by the flooding. Almost 4 million people have been affected in this region including 1.5 million who have been made homeless. Further heavy rain is forecast in the province for at least the next three days.
Disasters Emergency Committee Chief Executive Brendan Gormley said: “With further monsoon rains expected over the next few days, it is clear that the situation for millions of people in Pakistan is going to get worse before it gets better. We are very concerned about reports that the Swat Valley has been cut off by mudslides which will hamper the relief effort.
“We still need people to keep giving because the flood waters are still spreading fast affecting millions of people.
“DEC member agencies and their partners have already reached over 500,000 people on the ground but with roads and bridges washed away and landslides blocking access to some areas the challenges we face are considerable. We urgently need the public’s help to save more lives.”
With reports of cholera cases in the Swat Valley one of the critical needs for those affected by the floods is clean drinking water. Even after flood waters subside, there is a risk from water-borne diseases and infections. The DEC’s member agencies have assisted more than 100,000 people by fixing water systems, trucking clean water and providing water purification tablets.
To make a donation to the DEC Pakistan appeal call the 24 hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900, visit http://www.dec.org.uk or donate over the counter at any post office or high street bank, or send a cheque. You can also donate £5 by texting the word GIVE to 70707 – see details below.
