Pakistan: UN launches $160 million response plan as devastating monsoons continue

Following the devastating floods and landslides that are affecting more than 33 million people in Pakistan, the United Nations and the country’s government launched a response plan valued at more than 160 million dollars on Tuesday in Islamabad and Geneva.

The figures that have caused the disasters speak for themselves: more than 1,100 people, including more than 350 children, have lost their lives, more than 1,600 injured, more than 287,000 houses completely and 662,000 partially destroyed, more than 735,000 heads of dead cattle and two million acres of affected crops, in addition to serious damage to communication infrastructure.

The Pakistan Flood Response Plan 2022 seeks to cover the needs of 5.2 million people and includes items in food security, in assistance to agriculture and livestock, in shelter and non-food items, in nutrition programs, in primary health services, protection, water and sanitation, among others, for a total of 160.3 million dollars.

The General secretary of the UN graphically described the magnitude of the tragedy in its video message issued during the launch of the response plan.

“The Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids. More than 1,000 people have died and millions of lives have been affected. This gigantic crisis calls for urgent collective action to help the Government and people of Pakistan in their time of need”, warned António Guterres.

Pakistan hosts millions of refugees

The High Commissioner of UN Refugee Agency He pointed out that the international community must increase its support and help Pakistan in the response to this catastrophe and recalled that the Asian nation hosts about 1.3 million registered Afghan refugees.

“The rains and floods have been catastrophic for millions of people. We urgently need global support and solidarity for Pakistan in these difficult times,” said Filippo Grandi, praising the country’s 40-year tradition of hosting refugees.

So far, the agency has provided more than 71,000 emergency relief items to refugee villages and host communities.

These items include tents, plastic sheeting, sanitary products, stoves, blankets, solar lamps, and sleeping mats. In addition, he provided 10,000 sacks to help build barriers around homes. The delivery supplied so far amounts to more than 1.5 million dollars.

Some 650,000 pregnant women need maternal health care

The 33 million people the Pakistani government estimates are affected by the floods and landslides include some 8.2 million women of reproductive age.

The Population Fund The United Nations estimates that nearly 650,000 pregnant women require maternal health services to ensure safe pregnancy and childbirth in these areas.

Among them, some 73,000 are expected to give birth in the coming month, requiring skilled midwives, newborn care and support. In addition, many women and girls are at increased risk of gender-based violence, considering that almost a million houses have been damaged.

“Pregnancies and childbirth cannot wait for emergencies or natural disasters to end. This is when women and babies are vulnerable and need the most care. The Fund is on the ground, working with its partners, to ensure that women pregnant women and mothers continue to receive vital care even in the most difficult conditions,” says the representative of the UN agency in Pakistan.

Dr. Bakhtior Kadyrov indicated that the humanitarian situation is aggravated by the significant damage to infrastructure. In Sindh province, more than 1,000 health centers are partially or fully damaged, while 198 hospital facilities are damaged in the affected districts of Baluchistan. Damage to roads and bridges has also made it difficult for girls and women to access health facilities.

So far, the agency’s branch in the country has procured and started distributing 8,311 feminine hygiene kits, 7,411 newborn kits and 6,412 safe delivery kits for immediate delivery in Sindh, Balochistan, Khayber Pakhtunjuá and Punjab provinces. .

The response of the World Food Program

For his part, the World Food Program and its humanitarian partners are expanding their operations to help the Government reach families and communities stranded in the flooded areas, through their field offices in Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh.

WFP has already distributed food and livelihood assistance to more than 168,000 people in five districts of Balochistan. Food distributions for another 117,000 people in Sindh province will begin in the coming days. However, some of the deliveries had to be interrupted due to heavy rains and limited access to families affected by the floods.

As part of the Response Plan, the objective of the Program in the coming months is to serve one million people to whom food, nutrition and livelihood assistance will be distributed, including 31,000 children and 28,000 pregnant and lactating women who will receive food specialized nutritional supplements to prevent malnutrition.

After relief operations are completed, WFP plans to undertake recovery activities in the five flood-affected districts of Balochistan until early 2023. Rehabilitation activities include restoring infrastructure and livelihoods of the population affected.

To expand, meet immediate needs and strengthen the Government’s relief efforts, the Program requires $34 million.