Pakistan: 4.6 Million Without Shelter - More Supplies on the Way

(New York / Geneva / Islamabad: 20 August 2010): As hundreds of thousands of people are still on the move in flood-ravaged Pakistan, an estimated 4.6 million are without shelter. The United Nations and its partners have so far provided a roof to nearly one million, while tents and plastic sheets for a further 2.4 million are in the pipeline.

"Lack of shelter is a clear contributing factor to vulnerability, which further exposes people to the effects of hunger and disease", said Martin Mogwanja, Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan, "We are committed to providing shelter to all those in need in the shortest possible timeframe".

Working in close coordination with the Government and local organizations, the shelter cluster, led by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has so far provided 106,314 tents and 70,658 shelter kits consisting of plastic sheets, covering an estimated 991,500 people. "We are working at the fastest possible speed, taking into account the enormity of the operation and the challenges faced", said Peter Roberts of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), a member organization of the shelter cluster, "Emergency shelter for so many people in need simply did not exist".

Member organizations of the shelter cluster have already ordered a further 111,163 tents and 465,315 shelter kits, intended to benefit a further 2.4 million people. "These items are being produced as we speak, with manufacturers working very long hours", said Billie Bierling of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The supplies in the pipeline have doubled within a week. Once these shelter materials have been delivered, approximately 3.4 million people will have been reached. But this is just over half of the target of six million.

While the shelter cluster had initially intended to provide shelter to two million people, continued flooding and further assessments have led to a revision of the target figure, which now stands at six million. "This is a race against time", said Brian Kelly of IOM, "Including what has been distributed and what is committed in the pipeline, we are now reaching more than our initial target, but the scale of the disaster has grown and the target population has tripled in size over the past two weeks".

Thanks to improved funding during this week, humanitarian organizations have been able to speed up procurement, and will continue to work tirelessly until all those in need are reached.

An estimated 4.6 million people are currently without shelter in the South Asian country, whether their homes were destroyed, or they have been evacuated. Many flood survivors are still on the move, trying to outrun the raging waters. Over 5,000 schools have been converted into shelters, accommodating an estimated 567,000 flood victims.

Along with shelter, other priorities for the current humanitarian response include food, clean water, medical care, and protection, for up to eight million people who have urgent humanitarian needs following one of the world's worst natural disasters in living memory.

For further information, please call: OCHA Islamabad: Maurizio Giuliano,+92 300 8502397 giuliano@un.org; Stacey Winston, +92 300 8502690, winston@un.org; OCHA New York: Nicholas Reader, +1 212 963 4961, mobile +1 646 752 3117, reader@un.org; OCHA Geneva: Elisabeth Byrs, +41 22 917 2653, mobile +41 79 473 4570, byrs@un.org

OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int