New flooding threatens more than five million people
Just one year after an unprecedented flood affected 20 million people, new flooding is threatening lives and livelihoods in Pakistan. Sindh, a province in the south of the country, is the worst affected. Nearly one million houses have been damaged, thousands of livestock have been lost and more than five million people are struggling to rescue their livelihoods. The flood has destroyed 1.5 million acres, leaving families dependent on agriculture without food and income. Many families are still trying to recover from last year’s floods and the recurring flooding puts them into a perilous position. Around 300,000 people have sought shelter in schools and makeshift tented settlements.
Sustained rains have caused breaches and overflowing of canals, hampering relief efforts and road infrastructure reparation work. The rains are expected to decrease in the next days and the monsoon season is coming to an end, however, the flooding will have long-term impacts for the affected population. It will take weeks or even months for some of the affected areas for the water to recede.
Affected people now urgently need food, drinking water, temporary shelter and health care. Those staying the temporary shelters lack water, cooking utensils as well as kitchen and sanitation facilities. Stagnant water in lower areas and around urban and rural settlements can lead to an outbreak of water borne diseases such as malaria, diarrhea or cholera.
CARE is distributing essential relief items such as mats, kitchen sets with pots and pans, hygiene sets with soap, antibacterial, toothpaste, brush and shawls as well as tarpaulins to build temporary shelters in Dadu in Sindh province. Through government CARE has also provided tanks for safe water storage. An assessment is currently underway to determine needs for emergency health care and emergency cash support in Dadu, Kamber and Mirpur Khas districts. CARE plans to reach a total target number of 150,000 beneficiaries through mobile health clinics and 5,000 households through cash transfer and livelihood activities.
About CARE: Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE has more than six decades of experience helping people prepare for disasters, providing lifesaving assistance when a crisis hits, and helping communities recover after the emergency has passed. CARE places special focus on women and children, who are often disproportionately affected by disasters. Our long-term poverty-fighting programs help poor communities become more resilient and less vulnerable to emergencies. Last year, CARE worked in 87 countries around the world to assist more than 82 million people improve basic health and education, fight hunger, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity, confront climate change, and recover from disasters.