Massive floods across Pakistan | Thousands Killed

[Undivided Kashmir]

QUOTE]

It is a really sorry state for the small farmers, loosing all their livestocks which would be their major source of Income.

I hope something is being done to save those livestocks.

 

[huzihaidao12]

Chinese entrepreneur donates one million yuan to Pakistani flood victims - People's Daily Online

A well-known Chinese philanthropists Chen Guangbiao, also the CEO of a resources recycling company in east Jiangsu Province, donated one million yuan (146,821 U.S. dollars) to Pakistani flood victims on Tuesday.

"Pakistan is a friendly neighbor of China and I want to help the Pakistani people get through the disaster," said Chen at the donation ceremony.

"I hope other entrepreneurs, in China and abroad, could also lend a helping hand to the suffering Pakistani people," Chen said.

Pakistani ambassador to China, Masood Khan, accepted the donation and expressed his deep appreciation of the timely support from China.

We are very appreciative of Mr. Chen's kind deed, as well as many other Chinese citizens who have also acted in such a caring way, Masood Khan said.

China was one of the first countries to send relief to Pakistan after it was hit by the worst floods in 81 years. China also dispatched a 55-strong medical team last Thursday to help save lives.

In 2008, the 42-year-old philanthropist organized the first non-governmental rescue team to Wenchuan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, two hours after a major earthquake. He also arranged rescue teams to go to Yushu after the quake there in April this year.

In May 2009, he built a public training center in eastern Nanjing City with an investment of 130 million yuan (19 million U.S. dollars) to promote public disaster awareness.

Source: Xinhua

 

[Aeon]

Floods increasing landmine risk in Pakistan: ICRC
Tuesday, 31 Aug, 2010

GENEVA: Flood waters in Pakistan have dislodged and carried landmines to places previously deemed safe or demined, increasing risks to the population, the international Red Cross warned on Tuesday.

Since the beginning of the floods, “three children, a woman and a man have been severely injured” by landmines in disaster-hit regions, Luiza Khazhgerieva, an official from the International Committee of the Red Cross, told AFP.

“Mines and unexploded ordnance could have been easily moved by water from the original places,” she noted.

The ICRC has in recent weeks documented incidents of explosions in areas previously deemed to be free of landmines.

In one instance, a woman's leg was blown off after she stepped on a mine while collecting firewood in places she used to frequent before the flood.

In another incident, a refugee in Kashmir was hurt by a mine while cutting grass to feed his cattle.

“This incident occurred in the area which is far away from places where incidents have been reported in the past,” said Khazhgerieva, who did not have figures on the number of unexploded ordnance in Pakistan.

In addition, two anti-personnel mines and a grenade were found in the pools of stagnant water and defused by the bomb disposal squad in Dera Ismail Kahn, south of Peshawar, said the aid official.

“Big explosions have been seen by local people in moving flood water there,” she noted, adding that this could be due to an explosive colliding with a hard surface.

The aid agency has stepped up a campaign to remind the population of the dangers of landmines.—AFP

 

[fawwaxs]

Jati, Shah Bandar facing threat

THATTA: Floodwaters released from a breach at Kot Almo embankment are now heading towards coastal towns of Jati and Chuhar Jamali, in Shah Bandar, after inundating Sujawal town and most parts of Mirpur Bathoro taluka. The breach widened to 290 metres on Tuesday and was discharging about 100,000 cusecs of water.

The floodwater is only 12km from Chuhar Jamali. Another eight-kilometre portion of the Thatta-Badin Highway has been submerged.

Forty per cent of the population in Jati and 20 per cent in Shah Bundar have been evacuated. About 65 per cent area of the two talukas, with a combined population of 275,000, has been inundated.

Most of the affected people were moving to Golarchi, the border town of Badin district. Those evacuated by army personnel were being shifted to nearby bunds and Thatta.

Local people complained about shortage of transport and high fares. The number of displaced people moving to Thatta is expected to rise to 600,000.

District Revenue Officer Hadi Bux Kalhoro and retired superintending engineer of the irrigation department Obhayo Khan Khushik, whose voluntary services have been acquired by the district administration, told Dawn from the flood site near Jati that major settlements in Tarr Khwaja, Hussainabad, Begna Mori, Nodo Baran and Waasu Shah and dozens of scattered settlements and villages had been submerged.

They said efforts were being made to strengthen embankments of Pinyari canal and divert the floodwater to its natural route to save Jati, Budho Talpur, Dewan City, Jati Chowk, two major industries of Dewan Sugar Mill and Dewan Motors, Golarchi taluka of Badin and a large number of villages from flooding.

Dr Liaquat Umrani, former chairman of the District Zakat and Usher Committee in Thatta, said the floodwater was 12km from Chuhar Jamali and two offshoots of Pinyari canal -- Satta Waah and Machki Naali -- were overflowing, putting pressure on its banks. Without naming any PPP leader, MNA Ayaz Ali Shah Shirazi said that if the leaders belonging to Shah Bundar and Jati allowed diversion of floodwaters through their agricultural land, the coastal towns of Jati and Chuhar Jamali could be saved.

The situation in Makli and its adjoining areas where a large number of displaced people have taken shelter on bunds, roadsides, graveyards, stadiums and parks has improved after the arrival of relief goods from Karachi. Local and foreign NGOs and philanthropists from the Gulf and other countries have approached the local administration to help flood survivors.

Meanwhile, Syed Iqbal Ahmed Shah, former PPP president in Thatta, has urged President Asif Ali Zardari to order a judicial inquiry into the breach made at Molchand-Surjani bund, in Kot Almo, and another in a protective bund, near Faqir Jo Goth. He said the people of Thatta had suffered a lot because of what he called criminal negligence of the authorities.

 

[Ahmad]

where is all this water coming from? has the rain stopped?

 

[fawwaxs]

 

[Cloakedvessel]

FIH supports Pak-Dutch fund raising match for flood
LAHORE, Sept 1 (APP): Netherlands will play Pakistan during a special charity match on September 14 to raise funds for flood victims in Pakistan. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) fully supports the event organized by the Royal Dutch Hockey Association (KNHB) in association with Pakistan Hockey Federation, Pakistan Embassy in Netherlands and charity organization SHO.



“ The charity match will take place in Rotterdam and we hope to generate good funds from the event to help contribute in Prime Ministers flood relief fund “,said a spokesman of PHF here on Wednesday.
The FIH will also play a key role, as it requests all its other 125 National Associations to donate for the Pakistan flood victims. FIH President Leandro Negre has written a letter to the NAs and asked them to assist. “I hope the global hockey community will respond to the tragedies in Pakistan”, FIH President Leandro Negre said.
While the KNHB is asking all hockey clubs in the Netherlands to donate one Euro per club member and to collect money through their club. All clubs receive Donations Forms at the start of the Dutch national competition to distribute them among their members.
The funds can be deposited directly in the bank account 555 or can be donated on 14 September at hockey club Rotterdam during the charity event. Throughout the evening of the charity match a collection is being made and Donation Forms will be distributed among the visitors.
Bajwa said while praising the efforts made by the FIH and global hockey community towards flood victims of Pakistan termed them commendable.
“ We hope that a substantial amount will be generated for the flood victims of Pakistan through this match”,he said.
Dutch hockey has a long lasting relationship with Pakistan hockey, KNHB Director Johan Wakkie said. “ History proves that The Netherlands have a special link with Pakistan hockey players”,he added.
Several Pakistanis are playing or have been playing in Dutch competitions for past many decades. Roelant Oltmans and Hans Jorritsma have been coach of the Dutch as well as the dutchman Michel van den Heuvel is coach of the Pakistan team.
Moreover, Publicity for the match has been generated by Dutch internationals such as captain Teun de Nooijer, during the nationwide fund collecting day on August 26. The ambassadors of the match acted as phone representatives and are guests on different radio and TV shows.
The aim of the charity match is to raise as much funding as possible for the Pakistan people affected by the floods. The Pakistan Hockey Federation and the Pakistan Embassy fully support this initiative.

Associated Press Of Pakistan ( Pakistan's Premier NEWS Agency ) - FIH supports Pak-Dutch fund raising match for flood

 

[fawwaxs]

Slow funding hits 'unprecedented' relief effort

ISLAMABAD: Relief efforts in flood-ravaged Pakistan are being stretched by the “unprecedented scale” of the disaster, while funding has almost stalled, the UN said Thursday.

“Given the number of those in need, this is a humanitarian operation of unprecedented scale,” said Manuel Bessler, head of the UN's coordination agency, OCHA.

“We need to reach at least eight million people, from the Karakoram Mountain Range in the north to the Arabian Sea in the south.”

The UN said 1,760 people have died as a result of the floods and more than 18 million people have been affected, with some eight million left reliant on aid handouts to survive.

The initially slow pace of funding had improved significantly since a visit by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on August 15, the UN said in a statement.

“But it has been almost stalled since the beginning of last week,” rising from just 274 million dollars to 291 million dollars, equivalent to 63.4 per cent of required funds, the statement said.

“The crisis is far from over,” said Tammy Hasselfeldt, chair of a Pakistan charity consortium. “In fact, we are now entering the most difficult stages.

Unless we can act fast enough, children and other vulnerable people may succumb.” – AFP

 

[fawwaxs]

Flood loss estimates rise to $43bn: PM


ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet was informed on Wednesday that economic losses inflicted by the floods were estimated at $43 billion, almost equal to the expenditures incurred on the war on terror over the past nine years.

The floods have affected 79 of the 124 districts — 24 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 19 in Sindh, 12 in Punjab, 10 in Balochistan and seven each in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the government had released massive funds to the provinces under the 7th National Finance Commission Award and relief funds would be disbursed after the Council of Common Interests evolved a mechanism.

He said the national economy had grown by 4.1 per cent last year and was expected to grow four per cent this year, but it might end up at 2.5 per cent, causing massive job losses and affecting incomes of thousands of families.

The prime minister said the devastation might also affect revenue collection and increase expenditures, widening the budget deficit.

It would hit the textile and sugar sectors and in turn affect the balance of payments and external resource stability, he said.

Mr Gilani said growth of the manufacturing sector might fall far below the target of 5.6 per cent.

He also said that inflation might increase to 15-20 per cent, much more than the 9.5 per cent target.

Inflation in the short term (one to three months) may rise significantly because of reduced supply due to crop destruction.

The prime minister said a meeting of the CCI had been convened on Friday to prepare a national strategy for rehabilitating the affected people in consultation with the provinces.

Briefing journalists after the cabinet meeting, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said 20 million people had been affected and 7.5 million of them had been displaced.

United Nations agencies and the National Disaster Management Authority estimate that crops over 1.38 million acres have been washed away and 1.2 million homes destroyed.

The damage to infrastructure, livestock and crops amounts to Rs350-500 billion

About $200 million will be needed for recovery and relief work and over $1 billion to repair key infrastructure.

Reconstruction of about 1,000 damaged bridges and over 400km roads will cost Rs8-9 billion.

About one-fifth of the irrigation infrastructure, livestock and crops in the country has been destroyed. According to initial estimates, the Pakistan Electric Power Company has suffered a loss of Rs4 billion to its installations. The cumulative losses of the Water and Power Development Authority and Pepco exceed Rs13 billion.

About Rs2 billion has been collected in the PM’s Relief Fund and $953.7 million has been pledged by donors, of which $142.47 million has been received.

BANKNOTES: The cabinet also approved replacement of Rs5 banknotes with coins and demonetisation of the Rs500 note of old design.

It decided to renegotiate and agreement with Australia on promotion and protection of investments.

The cabinet approved a bill for setting up the Shifa Tameer-i-Millat University in Islamabad.

APP adds: The prime minister said the job and income losses as a result of the floods might have serious social implications.

He said 30 per cent agricultural land and more than 10pc of the population had been affected.

He said the floods had caused the largest number of displaced people since the country’s independence and affected more people than all recent major disasters throughout the world.

He said the agriculture sector might face the adverse effect for another year.

Food security of the country was also under threat, he said.

 

[mshoaib61]

British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg (3rd-R) meets with children at a school in a camp for displaced people from the floods during his visit to an airport town on September 1, 2010 in Sukkur, Pakistan. Clegg is visiting a relief camp and a makeshift school where over 3,000 people are displaced from the massive floods devastating the country.

 

[SpArK]

Pakistan gets IMF relief, tightens security

(Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund will give Pakistan $450 million in emergency flood aid, providing some relief for a government overwhelmed by the disaster and facing renewed militant violence.

IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said in Washington on Thursday that the funds would be dispersed in "coming weeks".

Strauss-Kahn said discussions with a delegation led by Pakistan's Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on how to "reorganise" an $11 billion IMF loan program would continue.

(For slideshow: Children of the flood, click here)

He said Islamabad remained committed to terms including tax and energy sector reforms.

The floods struck just as the army said it had made progress in the war against the al Qaeda-linked Sunni Taliban.

Pakistan tightened security in the eastern city of Lahore on Thursday after three bomb attacks killed 33 people and wounded 171. A new wave of violence would be especially difficult to manage given the enormity of the task of providing relief to millions of flood victims.

The IMF package had kept afloat and economy that was already fragile before the floods rampaged from the northwest to the south, damaging crops and infrastructure which Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani estimated could hit $43 billion, almost one quarter of last year's gross domestic product.

The Lahore blasts which hit a Shi'ite procession on Wednesday bore all the hallmarks of pro-Taliban insurgents, who have carried out sectarian violence designed to destabilise the government.

"Security has been tightened in the city to prevent any such incident. We had called the (paramilitary) rangers after the blasts last night, and they are on high alert and can be called again any time if needed," Sajjad Bhutta, Lahore's top administration official, told Reuters.

Reflecting the growing reach of the Pakistani Taliban, U.S. prosecutors overnight charged its leader Hakimullah Mehsud in the plot that killed seven CIA employees at an American base in Afghanistan last December.

The United States also added the Pakistani Taliban to its list of foreign terrorist organisations and set rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to the capture of two of its leaders, Mehsud and Wali-ur-Rehman.

Washington wants to see a stable Pakistan that can help fight militancy in Afghanistan and inside its own borders. Pakistani and U.S. officials are concerned that militant groups could seize upon the disorder caused by the floods to gain recruits.

Moody's Investors Service changed to negative from stable the outlook on the long-term local currency deposit ratings and financial strength ratings of five leading Pakistani banks, due to economic damages caused by the floods.

The rating agency says it expects economic growth to slow down and inflationary pressures to rise sharply on account of factors such as food shortages.

Analysts said the IMF decision was a vote of confidence.

"This definitely sends out a positive signal that Pakistan is still on track in terms of getting financing from multilateral donors, which it critically needs, despite the country's slippages on the fiscal side," said Asif Qureshi, director at Invisor Securities Ltd.

Millions of flood victims are still homeless and potentially fatal diseases threaten to bring a new wave of death.

Pakistan has only secured 63 percent of the $459 million in funding needed for the initial emergency aid, the U.N. said.

Red Cross workers have faced angry crowds when distributing food and other supplies to flood victims, a disturbing trend that could jeopardise operations, a senior official said in Geneva.

There was also good news from the World Bank, which has increased funding to help Pakistan cope with the floods by $100 million, to a total of $1 billion.

(Additional reporting by Faisal Aziz and Sahar Ahmed in Karachi and Chris Allbritton in Charsadda and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and Paul Eckert in Washington; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Miral Fahmy)

(For more Reuters coverage of Pakistan, see: here)

Pakistan gets IMF relief, tightens security | Reuters

 

[arihant]

We are missing one thing here. What happened as already happened. Now its time to do another thing.

Death roll would increase if medicines and other facilities do not reach now. Because of water, there is chance of widespread epidemics if I am not wrong which is worst than anything else and once any new epidemic appeared (due to animal or anything), I don't think anyone would be able to stop throughout pakistan because 20-30% people has already been caught in this.

 

[AliFarooq]

could the amount of water coming linked to the lake created by the landslide??

 

[mshoaib61]

 

[jha]

^^Which country are they from..?