At a glance: developing relief operations

A glance at relief operations across Sindh.

Helicopter service by the World Food Programme

With the help of the army, the first helicopter mission to the inaccessible areas of Jacobabad district has been started by the World Food Programme (WFP). Around 500 metric tons of food has been supplied by the WFP to the 9,000 flood-affected people in Shikarpur, Sukkur, Ghotki, Kashmore and Khairpur. Each food basket provided by WFP consists of fortified wheat flour, vegetable oil, mineral water and high energy biscuits. A joint WFP-UNDAC rapid vulnerability assessment in Sindh is also underway. This exercise is expected to provide more information on the need of food assistance in the province. According to initial assessments, 29 health facilities were found partially damaged. Out of these, seven are functional.

Oxfam GB’s WASH services

Oxfam GB is providing WASH services to 10,000 families in Shikarpur in collaboration with Participatory Development Initiatives. They have distributed 32,000 litres of water to 6,400 individuals in camps in Shikarpur on August 14.

Sui Southern Gas Company steps up

The officers and employees of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) have offered to volunteer for the relief activities by donating two days’ worth of salaries. The total amount comes to Rs10 million. SSGC Managing Director Dr Faizullah Abbasi met Minister Petroleum and Natural Resources Syed Naveed Qamar and presented him a cheque for the Prime Minster’s Flood Relief Fund on behalf of the company’s officers and employees, according to a press release. The company set up its first relief camp at C&S Degree College, Shikarpur, and the next camp at a school in Dadu will begin soon. At the Shikarpur camp, 1,200 flood survivors are being looked after. They are given cooked food twice a day along with packs of nonperishable food. A team of company doctors and paramedics is treating patients at these camps while 116 different kinds of medicine have been procured. The SSGC has also set up collection camps at its zonal and regional offices throughout Sindh and Balochistan.

Unicef dispatches 600,000 sachets of ORS

Unicef has provided 600,000 sachets of ORS to lady health workers through the national programme. The USAID-funded Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (Paiman) has offered 25 water tankers of safe drinking water. In addition, they will also deliver hygiene kits to the flood survivors in three districts, including, Dadu, Khairpur and Sukkur. Unicef has also installed a 5,000-litre water tank and eight toilets at the Institute of Business Administration camp, recently established in Sukkur town. Twelve hand pumps have also been installed in Khairpur district.

WHO sends medicine kits

The World Health Organisation has provided five diarrhoea kits each of which will cater to 6,000 people. It has also provided 26 cholera kits, 18 mini emergency health kits and one interagency health kit for a 30,000 population per month, 50,000 ORS, 17,000 aqua tabs and 200 vials of anti-snake venom.

SIDA strengthens embankments

The strengthening work of the embankments of the Indus has been further accelerated by the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) with deployment of personnel for extensive patrolling. According to SIDA, Project Director Ahsan Leghari, every spot of the area is being attended properly by the SIDA management with sufficient machinery and manpower. He said that special attention was being given at weak areas, identified by the flood relief committee, which were being strengthened to sustain the pressure of the high flood at Kotri Barrage.