Pakistan Floods: One-Month Update

02/09/2010

Over one month since the start of the Pakistan flood-disaster, full scope of catastrophe is revealed

Update: As of September 9, CARE Canada has reached around 93,000 people with aid.

September 2, 2010 - One month after the devastating flooding of Pakistan's agricultural heartland began, relief efforts continue at a feverish pace. Survival is not assured for the millions of children and adults now displaced by the floods and coping with waterborne diseases carried by contaminated water and spread through crowded camps.

Due to the scope of this emergency, aid agencies are still struggling to evacuate people to safety and provide them with the necessities of life. Amidst the swirl of emergency relief operations, the extent of devastation is coming into focus.

The facts are alarming:

  • 20 million children and adults that have been affected. The death toll currently sits at 1,600 but is expected to climb significantly due to disease, malnutrition and insufficient medical supplies and care providers.
  • 8 million children have been affected and are especially vulnerable to waterborne illnesses such as diarrhea- one of the top killers of children in the developing world under normal circumstances.
  • More than 500,000 people are suffering from various diseases in camps and may lose their lives if they are not treated in time. In Sindh province, up to seven people lose their lives each day.
  • The UN is predicting a total collapse of livelihoods for people who depended on their livestock, an overwhelming reality for the two thirds of flood survivors who are dependent on farming.
  • The World Food Programme estimates that floods have damaged 14 per cent of the country's cultivated land. As a result, Pakistan will need help feeding its population for some time.

Funding remains a major obstacle for organizations involved in relief efforts. A recent public opinion poll conducted by Angus Reid shows that despite the government's pledge to match donations made by Canadians, the level of giving lags far behind that following the January earthquake in Haiti.

David Morley, co-founder of the HUMANITARIAN COALITION and President and CEO of Save the Children Canada, is in the flood-affected region of Pakistan to call attention to the plight of survivors.

"The one month anniversary following any emergency is a key milestone" Morley said. "But the unprecedented scale of this disaster has made responding especially difficult. Although seasoned aid workers are declaring this the most challenging relief operation ever, we are seeing progress. Right now we must secure the funding needed to ramp up our efforts while there's still a small window of opportunity to prevent an even greater human catastrophe."

HUMANITARIAN COALITION member agencies are on the ground in Pakistan helping to alleviate the suffering of millions. Their activities include:

  • Save the Children Canada has declared this a child-survival emergency and is calling attention to the needs of the most vulnerable flood survivors: newborns, young children and the half a million pregnant women, 100,000 of them due to give birth in the coming weeks.
  • In one month, Save the Children has reached more than 300,000 children and families with aid. 
  • CARE has reached approx 23,176 beneficiaries with health care, non food items and tents.
  • CARE, through partner HANDS, has established 12 camps for Internally Displaced Persons and is providing dry food rations, temporary shelter support, non food Item kits and health care. 
  • Oxfam has launched rapid relief effort in districts throughout the flood affected region and is currently providing clean water and cooked meals to more than 480,000 people. 
  • Oxfam is also digging and clearing wells, building water tanks and tap stands, repairing hand-pumps, establishing emergency latrines and distributing water purification sachets.

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The HUMANITARIAN COALITION, with the joint efforts of its members, CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec and Save the Children Canada, provides a widespread and effective response to humanitarian emergencies. By combining under one banner, the HUMANITARIAN COALITION makes it easy for Canadians to donate in an emergency. With one joint fundraising apparatus, the HUMANITARIAN COALITION reduces fundraising costs, increasing the impact of Canadian donations where it is needed.

For information and interviews:

David Morley has more than 30 years of community development experience in Latin America and Africa and is well positioned to compare the situation in Pakistan to past major emergencies, including the earthquake in Haiti and the 2005 tsunami.

To schedule interviews with him in Pakistan, please contact:

Denise Koulis, Save the Children Canada
(647) 273-7134

Marie-Eve Bertrand, CARE Canada
(514) 458-0057

Karen Palmer, Oxfam Canada
(613) 240-3047

Justine Lesage, Oxfam-Québec
(514)513-0013