Government, aid community assessing damages in Pakistan

(New York, 10 July 2007): In the province of Balochistan, around 5,000 villages affected by flooding and the aftermath of Cyclone Yemyin suffered severe disruption of electricity, water and communications. Almost all of the population of 140,000 of Jhal Magsi District was displaced. Although the area remains inaccessible via road, efforts are being made to prioritize aid there. National media have reported that more than 30 villages of Jafferabad district were submerged due to flash floods, and diarrhea, gastroenteritis and skin diseases are on the rise. However, water is receding in the flood-affected districts of Sindh, and the situation is stabilizing. Reports indicate that over 16,000 houses have been damaged and 107,397 persons displaced in Sindh. In addition, an estimated 350,000 acres of land and 34,000 acres of cultivated land has been inundated.

In total, 2.15 million people in over 6,100 villages in Balochistan and Sindh have been affected by floods and the cyclone, with fatalities totaling 246 and the number of missing now at 186. The priorities for the government are provision of shelter, water and medicine, reestablishing the road network--especially inside Balochistan--and taking measures to prevent epidemics.

The authorities have set up 70 relief camps in Shahdadkot town in Sindh province. There are 8 medical camps and 12 mobile medical teams working in the area. The Balochistan Provincial Government has deployed 162 staff in 72 medical camps, along with 25 mobile teams and has dispatched relief items, including food.

As of yesterday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported 99 C-130 flights carrying 753 metric tones (MTs) of relief supplies, and 188 helicopter flights carrying 167 MTs to the affected areas. The Navy and Utility Stores Corporation have distributed items, including food rations, drinking water, tents and medicines.

The Government of Pakistan and the humanitarian community are currently engaged in a major coordinated assessment of the needs and damage in the affected areas. Six road assessment missions to be concluded in six days started on Monday and air assessments are being carried out in some areas. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has provided material assistance to both Afghan refugees and to the local population. The World Food Programme (WFP) has provided almost 60 MTs of food, while the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has supplied 60 MTs of UNIMIX--food for vulnerable children, lactating and pregnant women. An additional 70 MTs of UNIMIX and 445 cartons of high protein biscuits (BP5) have also arrived in Quetta.

For further information, please call: Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 917 892 1679; Kristen Knutson, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 9262; Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570. OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.