Plea to speed up Pakistan flood relief

Dubai: There is an urgent need to speed up relief efforts for the victims of the worst-ever floods in Pakistan as millions of people are waiting for help, said a leading social worker and philanthropist from Pakistan.

"We are facing a humanitarian situation which is worse than the ‘Tsunami' and the ‘massive 2005 earthquake' as more than 15 million people have so far been affected, about 1,700 killed and thousands are missing," said Dr Mohammad Iqbal Khalil, president of the Al Khidmat Foundation, a leading humanitarian organisation in Pakistan, which has launched a massive relief operation in Pakistan.

Dr Khalil is visiting Dubai to meet potential donors and encourage the community to participate in relief efforts. Speaking to reporters at a relief camp of the Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD), he said that people of the UAE have ‘big hearts' as they were once again the first to send help to people in trouble.

"Some six million people are hungry waiting for food without houses," Dr Khalil added, telling horrific stories of the floods' devastation.

"The irony is that thousands of people are trapped in water but they don't have a drop of drinking water," he said, adding that this time the response from people within the country and abroad has been well below expectations.

He is hopeful that more people will contribute to relief efforts during Ramadan.

The floods, torrential rains and landslides have so far killed 1,700 people across the country and left more than 14 million homeless.

More than 650,000 houses have been destroyed, hundreds of thousands of animals have been killed and crops over thousands of hectares have been wiped away, sparking fears of an acute shortage of food in the coming months.

The massive floods have swept through the Khyber Pakhootnkhwa province followed by the Punjab and the Sindh province of the country causing widespread destruction and leading to a major humanitarian crises.

Contributions

Meanwhile, relief efforts for the flood victims are fast expanding across the emirates as a larger number of people and organisations are contributing to the cause.

Riaz Farooq Sahi, PAD president said that a team of volunteers from the association is already working in Swat and other areas in Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa province while two more teams are heading to Muzzafarghar in Punjab and Sukkhar in Sindh province to provide an immediate supply of food and medicines to an increasing number of flood victims.

First priority

"Our first priority is to send cash and buy medicines and food for those who have lost everything in the floods," he added.

Sahi said that a large number of people, regardless of nationality and religion, are coming to PAD to give relief goods and donations. In addition to cash donation, the association has so far sent six container loads containing clothes, food, tents, blankets and other relief goods.

How you can help

The Pakistan Association in Dubai has entered into an agreement with TCS, a leading courier company of Pakistan operating in the UAE for the collection of donation cheques and relief goods.

People can not only drop off relief goods at the TCS offices in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi but can also call a TCS staff employee Jasem on 050-7083204 for free pick up of donation cheques which should be addressed to the ‘Pakistan Association Dubai.'

For donations and relief goods, contact: