While winter sets in and the government fails to complete the process of rehabilitating the internally displaced persons (IDPs), UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) aid programme steps in to assist over 3 million people affected by floods in Pakistan.
The UK aid programme aims to provide the flood-stricken people in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkwa and Northern Punjab with food ration packs for 156,000 families, emergency shelter for over 41,000 families, winter kits (blankets, solar lights, shawls etc) for 25,000 families and water along with setting up basic sanitation and hygiene conditions for 104,000 families.
The aid will help in solving water problems for some 1.4 million IDPs which will include improving sanitation and hygiene conditions along with health and nutrition services. The aid will also provide for better living conditions for the IDPs living in temporary homes.
Following the floods this year the UK had dispatched an emergency assistance providing the IDPs with temporary shelter materials. However it is estimated that some 1.7 million people are still living in temporary camps.
Talking to The Express Tribune the head of DFID Pakistan George Tarkington said that the matter was of deep concern as women and children were forced to live in temporary shelters. “UK is providing additional shelter, special winter kits, and access to water, health and nutrition, to help the people during the winter,” he said.
DFID will provide an additional £13.5 million to assist IDPs in Khyber-Pakhtunkwa. The support will be channelled through Unicef and two NGOs, Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) to deliver water and improve hygiene conditions for 1 million IDPs and their host communities. NRC will provide employment programmes for around 15,000 families. In addition, £3 million will be provided to the UN led Emergency Response Fund (ERF). DFID will additionally contribute £10.5 million to the United Nations which with the help of the government will try to implement the Humanitarian Operational Plan. The aid will be channelled through different organisations including IOM, HANDS, Unicef and WFP.
This is the third year in succession that Pakistan has been hit by heavy monsoon flooding. According to a DFID conducted survey, the “mega-flood” in 2010 affected some 20 million people across the country.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 8th, 2012.
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@usman ee are sos shameless we want aid at the same time breed terrorist as state policy. Do you know how many people will die if azad kashnir wasnt given huge aid by the americans thats nothin co
@John F: Pakistanis are really grateful to UK, US, Saudi, Japan and other donors for helping in times of need. Problem arises when a decision is enforced against the will of locals eg drone issue - is it possible to strike a missile on US criminal in USA which kills him and his family even proved guilty under human right? Whenever you give aid/loan, please do good monitoring of NGO although I am confident of UN agencies. Also see if its being used for buying right things with appropriate spec not one those which are used in any other part of the world. Alas no one in Pakistan is raising voice for these flood victim and still they donot want Kalabagh dam and want to die of hunger and flood water. May be John your govt should help in building consensus like they have done many times in the past.
May Allah bless the English people for what they have done to you (including giving you all a homeland). English have sacrificed so much for the subcontinent and given so much aid to Pakistan.