Islamic Relief has met with the Prime Minister of Pakistan and top officials from Pakistan and the UK as we continue delivering life-saving aid to people affected by catastrophic flooding in Pakistan.
More than a thousand people have been killed and hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes this monsoon season. Officials have said that one-third of Pakistan is now underwater after experiencing 2.9 times more rainfall than the 30-year average.
Islamic Relief has been on the ground in the provinces of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and is working as part of the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to reach those most in need.
Islamic Relief Worldwide’s CEO Waseem Ahmad and Islamic Relief Pakistan’s Country Director Asif Sherazi met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on 1 September to discuss the response to the flooding.
The prime minister praised Islamic Relief and promised his government’s fullest support for our efforts to support those affected by the unprecedented flooding.
During the meeting, Waseem emphasised the importance of planning for the next stage of support for those affected. He stressed that, following the immediate emergency response, the situation would require a long-term, continued rebuilding of people’s lives, livelihoods and infrastructure on a massive scale.
‘The scale of the devastation is staggering’
On 3 September, Waseem and Asif Sherazi joined Christian Turner, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, to visit flood-hit villages in Nowshera, KP.
The group met affected families and spoke with community leaders, hearing of the desperate need for basic items including food and clean drinking water.
“The scale of devastation is staggering,” Christian Turner said. “The images we have all been seeing on our television screens are heart-breaking, but to see the incredible work aid workers have been putting in to provide relief to people has been heart-warming.
“The UK stands with Pakistan and will continue to offer its support as we build back from this calamity.”
The visit came as the UK announced an additional £15 million to help flood-affected communities, £5 million of which will go directly to the DEC’s Pakistan Floods Appeal. Islamic Relief is 1 of 15 charities that form the DEC.
“Since the needs are huge and dire, we really appreciate the UK’s increased support for the humanitarian response and the DEC appeal,” Asif said.
“We urge the UK government and other countries to increase funding for the recovery phase too.”
Worsening situation
An estimated 33 million people – 1 in 7 Pakistanis – have been affected by the historic flooding and the long-term impact is expected to be severe.
Some 462,200 people are now living in camps, having lost their homes. Livelihoods have also been washed away, with nearly 3.6 million crops destroyed and hundreds of thousands of livestock killed.
More than 5,000km of road networks have been destroyed, along with hundreds of bridges, complicating relief efforts.
The humanitarian situation is expected to deteriorate further, with more heavy rains expected this month.
“The situation is worsening with every passing day and in terms of damages, it is surpassing the floods of 2010,” Asif said, referencing another deadly period of flooding in Pakistan.
“We have been on the ground since 3 August, meeting the needs of the affected across the country with shelter, clean drinking water, cash grants, and food and hygiene items.
“We have reached 30,000 people with lifesaving aid – that [figure] will be doubled in the next week. The aim is to support half a million [people] under our emergency response.”
The people of Pakistan have never experienced a crisis like this and are urgently in need of assistance. Please help Islamic Relief reach those in need. Donate to the Pakistan Floods Appeal now.