Pictured: UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon meets young flood victims at a relief camp in Muzaffargarh district of Punjab province, Pakistan. Photograph: STR/Pakistan/Reuters
Pakistan warned today of a fresh flood wave making its way south along the Indus River and more heavy monsoon rains, threatening to add to the 20 million people who have lost homes, farms and livelihoods.
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The forecast for further inundations in Punjab and Sindh provinces came after United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon said the devastation was the worst he had ever seen and promised more emergency funding for relief operations. The UN said on Aug. 13 it had received only 20 percent of the $460 million it needs to provide aid to the homeless and hungry.
"This has been a heart-wrenching day for me," Ban said yesterday at a press conference with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari after touring some of the worst-affected areas. "I will never forget the destruction and suffering I have witnessed today. In the past, I have witnessed many natural disasters around the world, but nothing like this."
Ban said the UN will allocate a further $10 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund, bringing its contribution to $27 million since the crisis began. The organization aims to provide help for 14 million people affected by the floods and deliver clean water to 6 million people, he said.
The government's Flood Forecasting Division said in its latest forecast that "exceptionally high" levels in the Indus River of up to 1.1 million cubic feet per second were expected at two dams in Sindh over the next 48 hours. New flood waters may swamp low-lying parts of Jacobabad, Sukkur, Larkana and Hyderabad, they said. Heavy rains are likely to the north in Punjab today.
'Far From Over'
The floods have killed at least 1,600 people, destroyed homes, cut communications and inundated sugar, cotton and rice crops. The disaster may cut Pakistan's economic growth in half, Finance Secretary Salman Siddique said Aug. 13, with expansion falling as much as 2.5 percentage points short of a 4.5 percent target for the year ending June 30.
The government canceled the Aug. 14 Independence Day celebrations to show solidarity with flood victims, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan said. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani hosted a meeting of political leaders in the capital, Islamabad, that agreed to set up a national fund to rehabilitate people affected by the disaster. As many as 20 million people have been displaced, Gilani said.
"This disaster is far from over," Ban told reporters yesterday. "The rains are still falling and could continue for weeks. The United Nations and international community and international humanitarian community are moving as fast as we can to help the government deliver desperately needed humanitarian assistance."
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Source: Business Week
