UN starts survey in drought-hit Balochistan
The Office for United Nations’ Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is carrying out assessments in parts of Pakistan’s Balochistan province where people are facing crisis due to drought-like conditions, a UN spokesman said Tuesday.
The UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Spokesman, Farhan Aziz Haq, said the regular noon briefing that another 100,000 people needed immediate life-saving assistance because of the drought, and that the UN was also helping in some affected parts of the province.
The dry spell and reduced water availability had affected crops and threatened livestock survival, he said, noting that Balochistan was also still reeling from the effects of multiple recent disasters, including a harsh winter, a locust infestation and the coronavirus pandemic. APP
“Together with provincial disaster management authorities, the UN and food security sector partners are supporting livelihood projects in some of the affected districts. Assessments are ongoing,” the spokesman added.
Meanwhile, he said, Pakistan’s Humanitarian Response Plan, which is targeting 4.3 million people in need, required $332 million.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 29th, 2021.