The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday that the worst floods to hit Pakistan since 1929 have left more than one million people in need of emergency assistance. In north western Pakistan, the estimated number of those who have died exceeds 1,100.
A rising number of deaths, injuries and displacement have been reported along with huge damage to housing, roads, bridges, infrastructure in general, and livelihoods, according to a UN press release.
The International Red Cross has said up to 2.5 million people have been affected by the heavy flooding brought on by the torrential monsoon rains. “In the worst affected areas, entire villages were washed away without warning by walls of floodwater”, said ICRC statement .
The relief agency said damage assessments show that the worst-hit areas include parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the northern and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Besides these two provinces, Balochistan province and Gilgit –Baltistan have also been hit hard, added the ICRC.
Epidemics of cholera and gastro-enteritis threaten the affected areas in the aftermath of the devastating floods.
The federal government has yet to announce a relief package for the flood-affected people and there is no serious response from the international community, humanitarian organizations and bodies like the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, according to the PK Information Minister.
