Flooding in Pakistan

More flooding is expected in the Sindh province.

Picture courtesy of WaterAid's partner IRC.

Updated: 19 August 2010

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WaterAid established its office in Pakistan in 2006, and works through 15 partners in Khyber Pakhtunkwa (KP), Punjab and Sindh.

All these provinces have been affected by the flash floods and torrential rains which began almost three weeks ago.

News reports suggest that the flood emergency is getting worse throughout the country; villages have been submerged and bridges, roads and communication lines have been washed away, hampering the aid effort. The United Nations has stated that this is now the worst humanitarian crisis in recent history. According to latest reports more than 20 million people have suffered losses requiring long or short-term help. This is more than the three most recent natural disasters combined; the Indian Ocean tsunami and recent Kashmir and Haiti earthquakes.

The current death toll stands at 1,600, but with so many parts of the country inaccessible and between 3.5 - 6 million children at risk from water-borne diseases such as diarrhea and cholera, it is feared to be much higher. The disaster zone stretches from the Hunza Valley in the North to Sindh in the South.

How is WaterAid responding to the flooding crisis?

In an effort to help the displaced affected by the recent floods in Pakistan, WaterAid has already released funds to assist the efforts of our local partner organisations. Through our partners, we are focusing on the worst affected areas and reaching out to the most vulnerable people.

The first phase of WaterAid's response will be primarily to provide relief to the displaced communities focusing on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services. The second phase will be to continue our efforts towards the rehabilitation of drinking water sources, hygiene and sanitation facilities.

We will support our local partners in the following activities:

Hygiene kits:
Hygiene kits will be distributed to help alleviate the immediate impact of the flood. Kits will consist of soaps, tooth brushes, tooth paste, combs, nail cutters, towels, sanitary cloth, cloth for filtering water, water purification tablets and a water vessel (lota).

WaterAid will be helping local partners construct make-shift latrines.

Picture courtesy of WaterAid's partner IRC.

Health and hygiene sessions:
Scabies, eye infection and diarrhoea are increasing day by day in the flood affected areas. Health and hygiene sessions will be carried out to reduce the ratio of wide spreading diseases like respiratory tract infection, skin infections, diarrhoea and malaria. The importance of hand-washing with soap and latrine use will be highlighted and personal hygiene will be discussed. Hygiene Messages will be broadcasted on the local FM Radio. In the rehabilitation phase, families will be assisted in building temporary latrines.

Dissemination of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material:
IEC material with hygiene messages will be disseminated among the affected people who will be asked to adopt and deliver these messages to others.

Drinking water tankering:
Clean drinking water will be provided through tankers as an interim measure. This water will be tested before supplying to the affected families.

Drinking water quality testing:
In the flood affected areas, drinking water quality needs to be addressed immediately. The government schemes and communal sources are badly damaged resulting in contamination. The quality of tankers providing water is also questionable. Water quality testing will be carried out to identify the problem and to ensure clean drinking water.

Emergency water purification and hydration: Thousands of water purification tablets and oral rehydration sachets will be distributed.

Assessment and rehabilitation of drinking water supply schemes:
A technical and social assessment of drinking water supply schemes will be carried out. Based on this assessment, water sources at the communal level will be rehabilitated. Dewatering, chlorination and aqua tabs techniques will be used to address drinking water quality.

WaterAid will also continue to:

Encourage partners to mobilise volunteer groups and partners to support affected communities
Encourage those partners who are well connected with local authorities as well as the water, sanitation and hygiene clusters to remain updated and make a coordinated move in supporting other local agencies
Share information via WaterAid’s Technical Support Unit on water disinfection, sanitation and hygiene with partners and affected people

Our Pakistan country programme is monitoring the situation on the ground and is in discussion with partners regarding the possibility of further interventions to provide rehabilitation support in the affected areas. Speaking about the situation, WaterAid’s Programme Manager in Pakistan Abdul Hafeez said: “In any disaster the most immediate and pressing challenge, and the greatest threat, is access to clean drinking water. Now the fear is growing of outbreaks of disease among people affected by Pakistan's worst floods in 80 years.”

WaterAid recognises that a natural disaster of this scale requires agencies and organisations to join together in their response. In Pakistan, WaterAid will be engaging with other national and international agencies involved in the disaster response to provide technical expertise and advice on water, sanitation and hygiene, where possible.

We are in close touch with our staff and partners in Pakistan and they will be continuously assessing what contribution WaterAid can usefully make to the relief effort, through supporting the work of the national authorities and international disaster relief agencies in the area.