Flood-hit Pak running out of funds for rehabilitation efforts: UN

ISLAMABAD - The United Nations has expressed concern about the drying up of funds available for the flood-affected people in Pakistan.

UN spokeswoman Stacey Winston appealed to international donors to act swiftly to stave off a new winter emergency in the flood-hit country.

“We are getting more concerned that the funding is slowing down. We are looking at another emergency in the north with winter coming. We do not want the people to be left out in the cold. We want to provide them with the housing and with the materials they need to rebuild their homes,” the News quoted Winston, as saying.

“It is still a serious emergency and that is what we have to convey to the world that Pakistan cannot be forgotten, that people are still very much suffering. We need the funds and the support and resources to reach people in need so that they can go home and they can rebuild their lives,” she added.

The developments come days after it was reported that thousands of people displaced by the recent floods are likely to spend the winter in temporary shelters.

The “worst floods in Pakistan’s history”, triggered by torrential monsoon downpours in July, had claimed the lives of over 1,900 people and disrupted the lives of over 21 million people, eight per cent of the population.

The floods first struck the western province of Baluchistan on July 22 before inundating the worst-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and then entering Punjab and Sindh.

It is estimated that over two million homes were damaged or destroyed.

The Asian Development Bank and the World Bank have estimated that the floods inflicted 9.5 billion dollars losses to Pakistan’s economy. (ANI)