ISLAMABAD: The UK announced another £10 million in humanitarian aid for Pakistan on Friday for life-saving humanitarian support and to help in the country in its flood relief efforts, the British High Commission announced.
Triggered by heavy monsoon rains, floods have devastated Pakistan and left over 1,700 people dead and 33 million out of a population of 220 million adversely affected. Officials say flood waters could take up to six months to recede.
In the meantime, water and vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria and skin, eye and gastronomical infections have rapidly spread.
Last week, the United Nations revised its humanitarian appeal for Pakistan five-fold to $816 million while the UN has received only $90 million in assistance from the $180 million pledged so far.
The revised appeal came amid a surge in water-borne diseases following the country’s worst floods in decades.
“As part of a visit to the country, FCDO Minister Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon has today [Friday] announced a further £10 million of humanitarian aid, bringing the UK Government’s total contribution to £26.5 million,” the British High Commission said in a statement.
The high commission added that extra support will be spent on urgent life-saving needs such as providing shelter, water and sanitation to prevent water-borne diseases.
“It will focus on supporting people who are still displaced and those that are returning to their land, by helping re-establish communal water supplies,” the statement said.
During his visit to Pakistan, Lord Ahmad is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and other government officials. In meetings with them, the minister is expected to discuss the impact of the floods, visit areas most affected by the catastrophe and speak with key UK-funded aid agencies in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province.
“Health remained our major concern as according to World Health Organization, 2.7 million children would be affected by malaria by January 2023, which is a significant increase as compared to previous years,” UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan, Julien Harneis, had said this week at a media briefing in Islamabad.
Around 50,000 children died due to Malaria each year in Pakistan but this year the number could be higher due to a significant increase in cases, the UN representative said.
