HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESS BRIEFING BY EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR ON FLASH APPEAL IN RESPONSE TO FLOODS IN PAKISTAN

John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefed journalists this morning on the situation in Baluchistan, Pakistan following the floods there, and the launch of the United Nations flash appeal for $ 38 million.

Explaining the situation, Mr. Holmes said the flooding in Pakistan was extremely serious this year, much worse than normal in areas which were used to flash-flooding during the monsoon season. There were nearly 2.5 million affected, 377,000 people homeless, 300 to 400 deaths, and many missing. It was a very serious situation, which the Government was addressing as best it could, and relatively successfully. The Government had been using helicopters and planes to get to the area, as access was difficult. The United Nations had been working closely with the Government, which had not appealed for help, but had said that any help from the international community was welcome. Teams had been deployed from Geneva and from Islamabad, and there was now a reasonable picture of the situation.

The flash appeal had been issued this morning for $ 38 million to cover the immediate needs of the population affected for the next three months. This was not a one-off appeal, as usual, and would be expanded in future as needs became clearer.

Of the $ 38 million, the biggest part was to restore people’s livelihoods as quickly as possible, namely $ 9 million for early recovery activities. Shelter was also an immediate priority: tents had been sent in large quantities, but there was a need to examine the situation from a longer-term basis, with more permanent shelter solutions. The other major items included health, which was for between $ 4 to 5 million. So far there were no reports of outbreaks of communicable diseases, but the risk was clearly high due to the weather situation. The other major item was water and sanitation - many water sources had been destroyed or affected, and there was an immediate need for fresh water and to restore and repair the water sources as soon as possible.

The Central Emergency Relief Fund had already given $ 4.4 million to kick-start the recovery activities. There had been pledges from international donors of around
$ 6.5 million before this morning’s launch of the appeal. There were indications to suggest that there should be a reasonably generous response, with donors talking of contributions between $ 1 to 3 million or 1 to 3 million euros.

The waters had or were going down, Mr. Holmes said, but the risk had not gone away. It was early in the monsoon season, and the authorities were expecting further heavy rains over the next few months. The danger of flooding had not receded, and the pressure on the levies and dams was already high. The situation was serious, and was by no means over, as there was a need to mitigate future flooding as well as resolve the current situation.

In response to a question on why the appeal was launched two weeks after that of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and whether this was due to the weather situation, Mr. Holmes responded that the delaying factor was more the need to go and investigate the situation and coordinate with the Government of Pakistan as to what the needs were. Baluchistan was not the safest nor the easiest area to access, and it had been agreed that it was preferable to get the needs quite right first.

Answering a question on how the people themselves were coping, whether they were in tents, and what their psychological situation was, Mr. Holmes said those affected had been very seriously affected, with women and children the most affected and the most vulnerable. People were sheltering to some extent in public buildings, schools and clinics, where these existed, with families in other villages, but there were also a number of roadside camps which were quite crude. Tens of thousands of people were in these camps, and they were not intended to be long-term structures. There were about 120 of these, scattered around main roads. There was not much shelter, and conditions were particularly desperate. Psychologically, people were devastated, of course.

Responding to whether it was possible to restore livelihoods when the rains were continuing, Mr. Holmes said this could be done, but it would take time. The Food and Agriculture Organization was working to ensure that the next harvest, in October, would not be a complete wash-out, and there were tools for the farmers available so that they could restart their activities as soon as possible. The intention was very much to ensure that people would be ready for the next agricultural season.