Wednesday, July 04, 2012

UK sends help for 1m flood-affected people of Sindh

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The UK government on Tuesday announced housing, seeds, and animal fodder to help up one million people in Sindh affected by last year’s devastating floods.
Some 1.8 million people in Sindh are still living without adequate shelter, exposed to the elements and vulnerable to disease, with this years monsoon fast approaching.
The new support from the UK’s Department for International Development is helping more families to prepare for possible future floods by providing 18,000 families or 126,000 people with material and advice to build permanent robust houses on raised platforms, which will resist future floods; seeds, fertiliser, trees, and animal fodder for around 100,000 families or 700,000 people so that they can grow food and generate income; and pre-positioned emergency items in anticipation of further monsoon floods this summer, so that emergency help can be provided as quickly as possible to 15,000 families or around 105,000 people. This will include emergency shelter, solar lamps, sleeping mats, and other essential items.
UK’s Department for International Development in Pakistan head George Turkington said, “As this year monsoon approaches, there are still 1.8 million people in Sindh severely affected by last year’s flood, with no adequate shelter, little opportunity to earn money, and vulnerable to disease.”
“To help people prepare ahead of possible monsoon floods, we are building flood resistant permanent shelter and providing seeds and fertilisers for up to one million people. This brings the total number of people affected by last year’s devastating floods helped by the UK to around 1.5 million. This is testament to the deep and long-term friendship between the UK and Pakistan – we always stand by and support each other.”
The support will go to the worst flood-affected districts of Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Matiyari, Badin, Benazirabad, Tando Mohammed Khan, and Tando Allahyar districts in Sindh. The UK government provided immediate lifesaving support after last year’s floods, and has now helped more than 1.6 million people to get back on their feet.

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

Back to Top