Pakistan – As heavy monsoon rains triggered widespread flooding for the third year in succession in Pakistan, IOM has completed a distribution of emergency shelter materials to 500 displaced families in Punjab’s Rajanpur district.

The distribution in Jahanpur, Wah Lashari, Noshera Gharbi and Fatehpur areas, will consist of contingency stocks purchased with funding from the UK Department of International Development (DFID) and the US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA.)

It will be followed by a second distribution to 500 more families in Dera Ghazi Khan starting today. IOM will then target a further 18,000 flood affected families in Punjab and Sindh.

To date, IOM’s partner agencies in the Emergency Shelter Cluster have reported distribution of emergency shelter items for 25,000 households, covering 9% of the needs outlined by IOM.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMA) has also asked IOM to provide emergency training in camp coordination and camp management for staff involved in the on-going emergency response.

The distribution coincides with an ongoing Multi Sector Initial Rapid Assessment (MIRA) of flood damage by aid agencies and the government in southern Punjab, northern Sindh and northeastern Balochistan.

The assessment has identified the worst damage in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur (Punjab); Jacobabad, Kashmore, Qambar Shahdadkot, Ghotki and Dadu (Sindh); and Jaffarabad, Naseerabad and Jhal Magsi (Balochistan).

According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the floods have now affected over 4.4 million people, causing 370 deaths. Preliminary reports indicate that more than 827,185 acres of crops and 217,449 houses have been damaged.

An estimated 700,000 people in Balochistan, 303,000 people in Sindh and 71,000 in Punjab have been displaced, according to government sources.

“Many of these people were already desperately poor in 2010. They have now been hit by serious flooding for three consecutive years and have effectively lost what little they had,” says IOM Pakistan Chief of Mission Enrico Ponziani.

“Pakistan’s The 2012 Early Recovery Framework, which asked donors for USD 440 million to help rebuild in the wake of the 2010 and 2011 floods is only 11% funded. The donor community now needs to step forward to avert this unfolding humanitarian crisis with funding for emergency response and disaster mitigation and prevention measures,” he adds.

For further information, please contact

The Pakistan Emergency Stabilization and Support Unit
IOMIslamabad
Email: pessu@iom.int