Life-saving aid is being provided to over 400,000 people across the country, British High Commission
The new aid is in addition to the £1.33 million (Rs 503.6 million) announced in August, British High Commissioner Jane Marriott
Staff Reporter, Daily Dawn, Dawn TV Report
London: Taking immediate action in view of the expected severe flooding in Sindh, the UK on Thursday announced an additional £454.4 million (Rs 1.2 million) in aid, to help the government’s coordinated response and prepare local communities before the disaster strikes.
According to a report by the British Foreign Office and a press release from the British High Commission in Islamabad, the new aid brings the UK’s total humanitarian assistance to Pakistan to Rs 958 million (£2.53 million), providing life-saving assistance to more than 400,000 people across the country.
The new aid is being provided to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Sindh to ensure early warning systems and community evacuations, identify vulnerable households in need of immediate assistance, advance supplies of essential goods and livestock protection equipment, and prepare evacuation centres. These measures are vital to saving lives and are aimed at securing communities before disaster strikes.
British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said that this is a crucial time for Sindh to prepare and mitigate the impact of the coming floods, with every dollar spent on rescue saving up to seven dollars in subsequent relief operations, saving lives and preventing disaster.
This new aid is in addition to the £1.33 million (Rs. 503.6 million) announced on August 22, which is being used for immediate response and relief operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.
This aid includes the provision of dry rations, search and rescue operations, mobile medical camps, rehabilitation of drinking water systems, repair of irrigation canals and restoration of livelihoods and agriculture.
In addition, the UK has also contributed to the ‘Start Ready Disaster Risk Financing System’ in Pakistan, under which Rs. 189 million (£500,000) has been released, reaching 20,000 people in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to help anticipate and reduce the humanitarian losses caused by future floods.
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