Pakistan Flood Disaster

Mehmud Kot is submerged in floodwater.

No one statistic can quite capture the enormity and magnitude of the disaster that has befallen our brothers and sisters in Pakistan.

Over 1,600 people are thought to have already been killed with as many as 1.2 million homes destroyed as a result of the flooding. It is thought that as much as a fifth of the total land mass of Pakistan has been impacted by the rain.

Perhaps the one statistic that comes close to emphasising the severity of this catastrophe is that as many as 20 million people have been directly affected by this natural disaster.

As the United Nations described recently, this crisis has affected more people than those that suffered as a result of the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004, Cyclone Nargis, in 2007, and the earthquakes that have hit Kashmir and Haiti in recent years.

The rains continue, no let-up just yet, it seems, for the people of this nation. The situation began with unusually heavy monsoons that swept in from the north west of the country. As the infrastructure of Pakistan struggled to cope, the potential consequences became clear.

Pakistani villagers move to high ground escaping a flood.

With the rains, have come the floods, devastating the very land upon which very many of these humble people, many of them from farming communities, rely on for their livelihoods.

This disaster, the worst in the region for over 80 years, has decimated towns and villages. It has wreaked havoc upon families who have been forced to leave behind ancestral homes with little more than a handful of possessions in a bid to escape the rising water levels and seek refuge in many of the overwhelmed aid camps around the country.

For those not lucky enough to reach an aid camp, the displaced seek shelter where they can, under a tree or bridge, or near a highway. Many just have to make do with dry ground.

The pictures, beamed by 24-hour news channels to our homes, tell heart-wrenching stories. We can, however, only begin to imagine what life must be like for those unfortunates that have been affected by the flooding.

Disaster caused by the floodwater.

Aid agencies have warned about the risk of water-borne diseases. Doctors are struggling against rising levels of cholera and diarrhoea. With forecasts have projected another four weeks of rain, the situation in Pakistan will continue to grow increasingly desperate.

• Pakistan has been hit by its worst floods since 1929.
• Over 1,600 dead and 12 million displaced and in need of emergency relief (Al-Jazeera News).
• Over £20 Million people directly affected by the floods.
• UWT Pakistan as responded to the emergency since day 1.
• UWT needs to raise at least £4 Million for supporting its aid operation.
• Lillah, Sadaqah and Zakat donations can be used towards this project.

Please donate towards these ongoing emergency projects. Many Millions still need our support.

A child waiting for food aid.

Aid pack includes:-  Tent - £50,  Medication - £20,  Clothing - £30

Food Items - £65 (10KG ghee, 10KG Rice, 10KG Pulses, 40KG Flour, 4KG Salt, 2 Packet of Matches, 15 KG sugar, 900 litres Mineral Water & Burning Material)

Utensils - £25 (6 Tea Cups, 6 large plates, 06 small plates, 6 spoons, Jug with 6 cups, Basket, Tea cups, Small Cauldron. 1 Large Cooking Spoon, Kettle & Water cooler.)

Reconstruction

UWT is currently working on projects related to the reconstruction phase of its operation.