Flood Victims
After three weeks of monsoons in Pakistan flooding is worst ever with more rain predicted on the way. As many as 1600 people have been estimated killed and nearly 20 million others affected by the disaster in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh provinces.
Angry mobs are blocking roads and protesting that the government is not doing enough. International aid is slow in coming. After touring the affected area U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the flooding was the worst natural disaster he has ever seen. He urged international donors to speed up aid. The U.N. is seeking $460 million in aid with only about 27 per cent of the goal reached so far.
Plans are underway to create an “air bridge” to fly supplies into the stricken provinces. NATO and Pakistani officials are working out the details. The need is urgent. With much of the infrastructure destroyed potable water is scarce leaving millions at risk of dysentery. The most vulnerable are the children with an estimated 3.5 million at risk of contracting diseases.
