PAKISTAN: FLOODS AFFECT MILLIONS FROM NORTH TO SOUTH

(New York / Geneva / Islamabad: 09 August 2010): The number of people affected by Pakistan's floods is now estimated to be 13.8 million, according to the Government of Pakistan. While not all may be in need of immediate humanitarian assistance, and the severity of their needs has not yet been fully assessed, this is a higher figure than those who were affected by the 2005 South Asia tsunami (five million), the 2005 South Asia earthquake (three million), or the 2010 Haiti earthquake (three million). The estimate of homes destroyed or seriously damaged - 290,000 - is almost the same as those destroyed in Haiti.

"This is a major disaster of enormous magnitude", said John Holmes, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. "Needs are huge and still rising. The humanitarian effort needs to be scaled up accordingly, as fast as we can. The funding needed for humanitarian relief in the coming weeks and months will inevitably be hundreds of millions of dollars."

Shelter for over two million homeless people is the most urgent need. "While every country has contingency plans in place, we simply don't yet have the resources in country to respond to an emergency of this scale", said Brian Kelly of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which coordinates the overall shelter response. "We are now working round the clock to bring in as much plastic sheeting and as many tents as necessary, and many are being manufactured as we speak".

As in any emergency, children are among the most vulnerable. "The biggest health threat to flood-affected children is diarrhoea. For displaced children living in camps and on motorway settlements, measles is yet another serious concern", said Dr. Mohamed Cissé, Chief of Health and Nutrition for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Pakistan. In order to prevent dehydration and a potential outbreak of measles, UNICEF plans to deliver this week 4.2 million sachets of oral rehydration salts, and 2.1 million doses of zinc, to children in the affected areas.

In some parts of the country, access is still a constraint to the response, including in parts of the Swat Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KPK), located in the country's mountainous north. "Many riverine areas of northern Pakistan are isolated by the floods, or roads are blocked. Many people in need of aid are still inaccessible", said Ahmed Warsame, head of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Peshawar. "Reaching people in remote areas is a huge challenge. The needs in this region are enormous, and it will take time to get aid to all those in need," he added.

Hundreds of millions of dollars will be required for life-saving humanitarian activities in the coming months. Over the longer term, billions of dollars will be needed in order to restore livelihoods and rebuild infrastructure.

So far, donors have already provided $ 38.2 million to the United Nations and its partners for the response, while a further $ 90.9 million has been promised. "We are very grateful for this show of generosity, and rely on continued support in the months to come", said Martin Mogwanja, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan.

For further information, please call: OCHA Islamabad: Maurizio Giuliano, +91 300 8502397, giuliano@un.org; OCHA-New York: Stephanie Bunker, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 347 244 2106, bunker@un.org; 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