More than four million Pakistanis have been made homeless by nearly three weeks of floods, the United Nations said today, making the critical task of securing greater amounts of aid more urgent.
The UN had earlier said that two million people had lost their homes in the worst floods in Pakistan’s history.
Aid agencies have been pushing for more funding as they try to tackle major problems such as food supplies, lack of clean water and shelter and outbreaks of disease.
The economic costs of the floods are expected to run into the billions of dollars, stepping up pressure on Pakistan’s government just after it had made progress in stabilising the country through security offensives against Taliban insurgents.
Aninda Mitra, a Moody’s Investors Service analyst for Pakistan, doubts the disaster will have short-term implications on sovereign ratings.
“I think even the most conservative donor will clearly understand the human implications of this disaster,” he said.
“But in the long term, to what extent the economy can bounce back and recover is going to be quite crucial and that is something we are interested in getting an assessment on.”
The Asian Development Bank said it will extend a US$2 billion (RM6.4 billion) assistance package for emergency rehabilitation and reconstruction work.
Hundreds of villages are isolated, highways and bridges have been cut in half and hundreds of thousands of cattle — the livelihoods of many villagers — have drowned.
Many hospitals and medical camps are overwhelmed and fears are rising for possible epidemics.
“The extent of human suffering caused by the floods cannot be easily quantified, nor can the damage wrought upon the country’s physical and social infrastructure,” Juan Miranda, ADB Director General for its Central and West Asia department, said in a statement.
“But what is clear is that this disaster is like no other in living memory — and that our response must also be unprecedented, equal to the need, and fast.”
Aid funding has improved, with nearly half the US$459 million needed to fund initial relief efforts secured after days of lobbying donors. But the situation on the ground remained grim.
“The donors are improving their contribution. They are giving more and more. The response of donors to this crisis is getting better and better but it is still inadequate,” UN spokesman Maurizio Giuliano told Reuters
Child trafficking is a big business in Pakistan. Giuliano expressed concern that since the floods have made millions homeless, children were at an even greater risk.
“You may have families who take drastic measures because they need to survive. So even though we don’t have any suggestion that it is happening already, this can be a concern,” he said.
Only a small minority of the six million Pakistanis desperate for food and clean water have received help after floods that have killed up to 1,600 people.
“According to rough estimates, over four million people in Sindh and Punjab still do not have a roof on their head,” said Giuliano, referring to southern and central provinces worst hit by the flood. “This situation is of high concern.”
Flood victims are turning on each other as aid is handed out and anger is rising over the government’s perceived sluggish response to the crisis.
The armed forces have raised their profile by leading rescue and relief efforts, but analysts don’t expect the military, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its history, to try to stage a coup
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