UN SAYS PAKISTAN DISASTER WORSENING - 17 MILLION HIT

(HN, August 24, 2010) - In what is now being described as one of the biggest natural disasters in decades, UN officials said the number of people affected by the floods in Pakistan has now soared to more than 17 million.

Quoting Pakistani officials today at a media briefing in Geneva that was monitored by HUMNEWS, a UN spokeswoman, Corinne Momal-Vanian, said 1.2 million houses had been destroyed or damaged.Pakistani flood affected girl waits in a crowd to receive donated food in Khwas Koorona village, Union council Pir Sabaq of Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan PHOTO: Asad Zaidi

Meanwhile the situation continues to deteriorate as a second wave of flooding moves southwards - sweeping away villages, fields and livestock in the process. 

At least 3.2 million hectares of standing crops had so far been damaged or lost across the country. Some 200,000 heads of cattle had drowned, and food was needed for the surviving animals whose fodder had been destroyed by the floods, said Elizabeth Byrs of the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

As of today, the UN's $460 million emergency response plan is 59 per cent funded. There is another $62 million in pledges. 

Experts say the case load of people in need of urgent medical care is growing by the hour. The World Health Organization (WHO) says there are more than 200,000 of acute diarrhoea, at least 260,000 cases of skin diseases and more than 200,000 cases of acute respiratory diseases in flood-affected provinces.

In some areas, helicopters cannot land due to flooding so the UN is dropping items such as high energy biscuits. The needs are huge. According to the UN's World Food Programme (WFP), 6 million people will need food assistance for the next three months but that case load is expected to rise.

Agencies say air transport is a huge problem. WFP will have access to 30 helicopters but requires 40 more.

During the South Asian earthquake, helicopters played a crucial role for aid deliveries and rescuing stranded and injured people. In one month, five helicopters can reach 140,000 people with food and other items like tents.

With the number of displaced people swelling, there are now about 700,000 people living in 1,800 settlements - many of them in schools or colleges, or in camps set up by the government, UNHCR said.

Much of the relief efforts are being provided locally - by individuals, NGOs and others.

"Solidarity amongst affected communities and from local organizations has meant that a huge amount of assistance has already been provided to meet some of the most acute needs," says Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).