ISLAMABAD: The United Nations has allocated $5 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support Pakistan’s response efforts to the ongoing devastating floods, UN Secretary General’s Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said this week. 

Floods in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province have killed 63 people and affected over four million people since late August, provincial authorities have said. Deluges have destroyed swathes of farmland and crops in the country, pushing up food prices and threatening inflation. 

Last month, Dujarric confirmed the UN had released $600,000 in emergency relief funds for Pakistan, as floods now flow downstream into the southern Sindh province and cause similar destruction. 

“On Pakistan, where our humanitarian colleagues are working hand-in-hand with the Government, yesterday, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, allocated $5 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the response to the floods that continue to hit and devastate many parts of the country,” Dujarric told a news conference on Monday. 

He said the latest funds complement the $600,000 allocation from the UN, as well as the $250,000 allocated from the Pakistan Country-Based Pooled Fund for local NGOs by the UN.

The UN secretary-general’s spokesperson said the funds will support cash transfers, health, water and sanitation, shelter and food, among other urgent needs of flood affectees.

“Our partners working in health have expressed concerns over a rise in waterborne diseases in many parts,” Dujarric said. “We are working to supporting the Government-led response and OCHA [United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] has deployed staff to the affected area in Punjab to support the coordination efforts.”

“While these new funds will enable lifesaving aid, existing resources are nearly exhausted and urgent additional funding is critically needed,” he cautioned. 

The Punjab government has said it has been conducting its largest rescue operation, including with the aid of drones, since last month. Heavy monsoon rains, which experts link to climate change effects, and releases from Indian dams have swelled rivers in Punjab and caused floodwaters to inundate multiple districts.

In its latest statement, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Punjab said at least 74,786 people are residing in flood relief camps across the province. 

Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said that at least 922 people have been killed and 1,047 injured in rain-related incidents since Jun. 26.