Aid group warns Pakistan flood victims need more aid for winter

Fri, 29 Oct 2010

New Delhi - The aid organization CARE warned against letting help for Pakistani flood victims drop off, three months after one-fifth of the country was swamped.

"If international aid ebbs, the approaching start of winter could bring a catastrophe after the catastrophe," CARE spokesman Thomas Schwarz said this week after visiting affected areas in southern Pakistan, adding that large areas remained under water.

Millions of flood survivors remained without a roof over their heads and until they are able to return to their villages and support themselves, which was estimated to be months in the future, they would be dependent on humanitarian aid, Schwarz said.

"In the [Sindh] district of Dadu, large areas of land are still under water," he said, adding that food saved from the floodwaters was running out, the people were not receiving enough to eat and drink, and dirty water was causing skin and eye sicknesses.

"For these people, the situation is very precarious," Schwarz said.

"I have doubts that the international community is aware that further aid must be supplied," he said Thursday. "The aid pledged so far is not enough to keep the people healthy over the winter and bring them into the new year."

Monsoon rains triggered the flooding at the end of July. Nearly 2,000 people died, and more than 20 million Pakistanis were affected.

About 14 million people were still in need of aid, the United Nations said.

It has asked its members to donate 2 billion dollars for the flood victims, but as of the end of September, it had received about a third of that amount.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/350944,victims-need-aid-winter.html.