ActionAid's Pakistan Flood Relief

Current situation for the areas where ActionAid is working:

Sindh Province: According to latest figures from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), over 7.27 million people remain affected by the floods in Sindh povince. Nearly half of the affected population is from four districts: Dadu, Thatta, Jacocobad, and Qambar Shadadkot. Water is receding from parts of the province but large areas, mostly in Dadu and Jamshoro districts are expected to remain under water for up to six months. In these areas, prolonged relief assistance will be required.

Punjab Province: Over 4.9 million people were affected by the floods in 11 districts in Punjab. The three most affected districts are Muzaffargarh District (with nearly 36 percent of the total affected population), Rajanpur District (20 percent) and Mianwali District (13 percent). Figures from PDMA suggest that few camps remain in the province. Four of nine camps were recently closed. An estimated 7,000 people remain displaced due to the floods. However, a large majority of displaced people have returned to their areas of origin. Provision of shelter and restoration of livelihoods are therefore the key priorities. The provincial authority has announced that it will provide seed and fertilizers to small land holders.

Kyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK): Together with the provincial authorities, the humanitarian community is assessing conditions for the return of conflict-affected IDPs from South Waziristan and Orakzai districts. In follow up to a recent security and inter-cluster rapid needs assessment undertaken in South Waziristan, a Returns Intention Surveys (RIS) has been launched for those IDPs originating from South Waziristan as well as Orakzai where the Government envisages returns. An inter-agency returns task force has been established to ensure safe and voluntary returns of IDPs.

ActionAid Response:

As November 2010, we have reached 18,188 families with immediate relief including food, NFIs, hygiene kits and fodder for livestock. We will be reaching 11,467 more households in next 5 months focusing on protection, psychosocial support and cash for work activities.   

In Layyah and Kot Adu (South Punjab), we are supporting 300 extremely vulnerable families each in house construction by providing them Material and Cash for Work, the three month project started from November, 2010.

One year early recovery and rehabilitation project funded by AusAID project to support 2,600 families in Punjab has started in November, 2010 focusing on establishing women and child friendly spaces, providing goats and poultry to women to support their livelihood, supporting kitchen gardens for women and providing related trainings and support for women’s enterprise development (small shops and businesses).

Sindh’s Kashmore district is one of the worst affected area where ActionAid is helping flood affected communities in relief and early recovery. we are developing women and child friendly spaces in addition to using street theatre for community awareness on disaster preparedness, women’s rights  and protection issues. A large number of schools have been damaged or destroyed in Kashmore (Sindh) due to which children’s education is hampered. Our Child friendly spaces are helping children learn and play under the supervision of trained facilitators who belong to the same area. These facilitators have been hired and trained by ActionAid.

Story from South Punjab:

45 years old Maqsood Mai, from Bait Wasava Shumali (Layyah District-south Punjab). Maqsood Mai’s mud house collapsed and was washed away in the floods. She received food, mattresses and hygiene kit from Avaaz funded project which ActionAid carried out through local partner Participatory Welfare services. Four months after the floods, Maqsood Mai has managed to re-construct one room where she puts her children to sleep.

She says “after the floods washed away my house no one came to my help except Avaaz and ActionAid. They gave us food, mattresses and sheets. Now I have managed to build one room with whatever money I had. I hope ActionAid will help me build one more room for my large family.” Maqsood Mai’s household has been selected for shelter support and soon she will be provided cash and raw material for constructing an additional room to accommodate her large family.

“Now my family needs a roof as winters are approaching and if my children sleep in the open, I fear the may catch a cold and fall ill.”