UN appeals for $357m for flood-ravaged Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations on Sunday launched an appeal to raise 356.9 million dollars under its Rapid Response Plan 2011, which will be spent initially on 91 projects in the flood affected areas of Sindh and Balochistan, due to heavy monsoon rains.

The Rapid Response Plan 2011 was launched here at a local hotel by Humanitarian Coordinator of United Nations, Timo Pakkala at a ceremony where Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan was the chief guest.

Representatives of diplomatic community, UN organizations, government departments, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and others were present on the occasion in which the UN Humanitarian Coordinator launched this plan.

The Rapid Response Plan has been launched on the appeal made by President Asif Ali Zardari after his visit to the flood affected areas of Sindh when he phoned the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for generating funds from the international community to help the victims due to gravity of the devastation caused by unprecedented rains.

It is an initial plan for emergency needs, which will be reviewed after a month to assess the actual needs, when the complete destruction and damage data will be compiled from the affected areas.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan while addressing the launching of the Rapid Response Plan said unprecedented heavy rainfall have affected  23 districts of Sindh and five districts of Balochistan.

The Minister said the situation further compounded due to a number of breaches in all the irrigation channels and Left Bank Out Fall Drain.

Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said, unfortunately 342  precious lives have been lost due to the floods while 633 persons were injured and millions of people are vulnerable to different diseases, particularly acute respiratory infections, diarrhea, malaria and  infections.

She said, “More than 7.1 million people have been directly affected out of which 491,000 people have been accommodated in 2618 relief camps.”

As many as 1.3 million houses have been damaged and over 6 million acres of land including 2 million acres cultivated land has been affected, she added.

The Minister said heavy damages to property, infrastructure, agriculture and livestock have been reported, however, the actual damages could be ascertained after detailed damages and needs assessment is carried out.

The Information Minister said the Government of Pakistan, under the dynamic leadership of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, despite being faced with resource constraints, has so far mobilized approximately 166,000 tents, over 869,000 family food packs and a large number of other relief items including blankets, mosquito nets, water purification units, medicines and jerry cans etc.

She said, “The government had tried its best to cope with the situation by itself, however, due to the sheer scale of the disaster it came to the conclusion that the situation exceeds the capacity of any single stakeholder.”

She said in view of this President Asif Ali Zardari requested UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to supplement the Government’s efforts.

The Minister hoped that the people of Pakistan would receive similar generous support as has been extended by friends and international community in the past for the Rapid Response Plan of $356 million.

“We are confident that the Rapid Response Plan – Pakistan Floods 2011, launched today, jointly by Pakistan Government and the UN would receive the required funds from donors,” she added.

The Minister said Pakistan government together with the UN would ensure transparency and accountability in the utilization and delivery of the assistance to the affected people in a most efficient manner.

She said it is natural disaster as people of Pakistan especially living in Sindh are unfortunately once again passing through great hardship due to unexpected and unprecedented heavy monsoon rains.

She said Pakistan is prone to hydro meteorological disasters; however, the frequency and intensity of such disasters have increased in the recent past, primarily due to climate change phenomenon experienced all over the world.

The Minister said a well placed three-tier disaster management system consisting of district, provincial and national disaster management authorities has been evolved by the government.

Referring to the issue of visa and permission to the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international community to reach to the flood affected areas, the Information Minister assured that there is no such problem and government of Pakistan has been facilitating the donors in this regard.

She said previous response of international community so far was due to Pakistan’s personal efforts at international level while the UN has launched its campaign today and expressed the hope that there will be good response of this campaign.

Humanitarian Coordinator of United Nations, Timo Pakkala while announcing the Rapid Response Plan said it is basically for the 91 projects identified initially to provide shelter, food, medicines and clean drinking water in the affected areas.

He said the UN has already started supply of food, shelter, medicines and other basic needs of life to the flood affected areas without waiting for the funds to be generated.

Timo Pakkala said this plan is for initial response to the victims and it will be reviewed after 45 days to revise the needs and demands of the people of the affected areas.

Giving some details, he said, with the present resources of Pakistan government, only 30 percent shelter could be provided to the homeless victims.

He said out of 5.44 million affected people there are 2.60 million women and 1.96 million children, while 1.8 million people have been displaced and 1.0 million houses have been damaged.

He said 64 percent people in the flood affected areas are without clean drinking water while 67 percent food stock of the people had been destroyed.

He said 70 percent crops in the area have been damaged while 280,000 families have lost their livestock.

Replying to a question, Timo Pakkala said so far no country has announced its pledge under the Rapid Response Plan 2011 adding that some of the countries have already announced their donations before.

He however clarified that it will be up to the donor countries either they want to contribute directly on bilateral basis or they can contribute through this Rapid Response Plan.

He said Rapid Response Plan is for providing immediate relief and after its revision, a fresh plan would be prepared for reconstruction, rehabilitation and improvement of other basic facilities to the flood victims.

Brigadier Sajid Naeem, representing National Disaster Management Authority explained the contingent plan and ongoing efforts of the NDMA for the assistance of flood victims.

He said NDMA has been coordinating with other departments of the federal and provincial governments and international community to provide best possible help to the flood victims without delay.

He said the NDMA had already prepared a contingent plan according to the reports of Met office, but the rains were much more than the assessments of Met office and beyond the capacity of the canals and rivers that created more damage. AGENCIES

Badin: Strong winds add to misery of helpless flood-victims

 The heavy rain has spread disaster in Badin district while low lying and coastal areas have also submerged in the rainwater.

The flood threat to Badin has increased after drainage of 40,000 cusec rainwater into the LBOD saline nullah from various areas. Dozens of villages have been evacuated due to dangerous situation while emergency has been declared in the area.

The stagnant water is spreading epidemics in the district and 90 people have died so far due to gastro, diarrhea, malaria and skin diseases.

Russia crash site bone finds raise burial fears

WARSAW: Polish experts have retrieved bones, probably human, from the site of an air crash in Russia where Poland’s president and dozens of other dignitaries perished in April, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

The find could fuel concerns among families of the victims that they may not have been given the correct remains of their loved ones for burial by the Russian authorities following the disaster at Smolensk airport, in which 96 people died.

Poland’s first lady, prominent MPs, top generals and a raft of other senior state figures were among those killed.

Some victims’ families are considering exhumation, saying they are not sure the coffins they received really contained the bodies of their relatives, and a group of archaeologists has been examining the site recently for human remains.

“The archaeologists have found elements of bones on the crash

‘Seven million still lack shelter after Pakistan floods’

ISLAMABAD: At least seven million people are still without shelter in Pakistan nearly three months after catastrophic floods devastated huge parts of the country, the United Nations said Tuesday.

Torrential monsoon rains began falling in northwestern Pakistan in July, causing floods that moved steadily south, wiping out villages and farmland and affecting an area roughly the size of England.

“At least seven million people are currently without shelter in the flood-affected areas,” UN spokeswoman Stacey Winston told a news conference in Islamabad.

She said that the floods destroyed and damaged over 1.9 million homes.

The United Nations has issued a record two-billion-dollar appeal for funds to cope with the disaster, which UN agencies say affected 21 million people. Only around 35 percent of the appeal has already been funded.

Winston

Pakistan floods cost $9.7 bln in damage -ADB/WBank

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s floods caused an estimated $9.7 billion in damage to infrastructure, farms and homes, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank said on Thursday.

An assessment conducted by the two banks said agriculture, which is the mainstay of the economy, and livestock were the worst affected by the disaster, which seriously damaged an already fragile economy.

The floods, which began in late July, made more than 10 million people homeless and affected 20 million.

“The floods that swept across Pakistan since July caused an estimated $9.7 billion in damage to infrastructure, farms, homes, as well as other direct and indirect losses,” the ADB and World Bank said in a statement.

Pakistan’s cash-strapped government, which needs to secure as much aid as possible for reconstruction, has said the floods caused $43 billion in

Floods and landslides kill 86 in Indonesia

At least 86 people have been died in flooding in the eastern Indonesian province of West Papua.
Flash floods and landslides in the Teluk Wondama district have left another 80 people injured and sent thousands into evacuation centres. Many more are missing after a river burst its banks, triggering a landslide and uprooting trees.
A navy warship has arrived near the disaster area, carrying tents, medical supplies and food. The sudden flooding caught residents by surprise, contributing to the high death toll. Roads and bridges have been washed away and hundreds of homes, businesses and schools have been damaged or destroyed.
Many parts of the country had been badly hit by heavy rains, winds and high waves this year.

Cameron urges Pakistan trade link

British Prime Minister David Cameron is to urge EU leaders to support a major new trade partnership between Europe and Pakistan in the wake of the worst floods.
He will tell a summit in Brussels that the scale of the disaster warrants a response far beyond the vital immediate humanitarian effort.
In a letter to the summit chairman Herman Van Rompuy ahead of the one-day meeting, the Prime Minister called for an ambitious new partnership between the EU and Pakistan on serious economic reform and trade, the benefits of which will be worth far more to Pakistan than even a sizeable aid package.
Cameron wants to see a concrete political commitment from the EU to Pakistan to enhance significantly its access to the EU market in the short term.

Cameron urges Pakistan trade link

British Prime Minister David Cameron is to urge EU leaders to support a major new trade partnership between Europe and Pakistan in the wake of the worst floods.
He will tell a summit in Brussels that the scale of the disaster warrants a response far beyond the vital immediate humanitarian effort.
In a letter to the summit chairman Herman Van Rompuy ahead of the one-day meeting, the Prime Minister called for an ambitious new partnership between the EU and Pakistan on serious economic reform and trade, the benefits of which will be worth far more to Pakistan than even a sizeable aid package.
Cameron wants to see a concrete political commitment from the EU to Pakistan to enhance significantly its access to the EU market in the short term.

Stalled funding hits Pakistan aid effort: UN

THATTA: Relief efforts in flood-ravaged Pakistan are being stretched by the ‘unprecedented scale’ of the disaster, with the flow of international aid almost at a standstill, the UN said Thursday.

Thousands remained trapped by floodwaters in the hardest-hit southern province of Sindh, while others complained of going without food or water for days and some were being forced to live in the rubble of their ruined homes.

Although the initially slow pace of aid had improved since a visit by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in mid-August, the UN said it had “almost stalled” since the beginning of last week, rising from 274 million dollars to 291 million dollars — about two thirds of aid needs.

The deluge has engulfed an area the size of England, affecting more than 18 million people, including eight million who are dependent on aid handouts to

Gen. Kayani visits flood affected areas of Punjab; Sindh

Staff Report

RAWALPINDI: The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani visited flood affected areas of Southern Punjab and Sindh on Tuesday.

According to a press release of Inter Services Public Relations, Pakistan (ISPR), he flew over the flooded areas and stopped at Multan, Nawabshah, Kotri Barrage and Thatta, and witnessed the relief activities.

Local military commanders briefed him about the progress of rescue and relief operations by the Army.

COAS appreciated efforts of Army Formations and emphasized the need to continue assisting Civil Administration in the daunting task of relief and rehabilitation.

He also met the Aviation Team of United Arab Emirates and Civil Defense Rescue Team of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who are engaged in the rescue and evacuation.

He lauded the response of friendly countries in

Next Page »