Oxfam launched a rapid relief effort to reach almost 400,000 people with clean water, sanitation kits, and hygiene supplies. The international agency is trucking water and installing tanks to help prevent the spread of water-borne diseases amongst the estimated 1 million people affected.
Oxfam's Pakistan Director Neva Khan said:
“This is the worst flooding in living memory, and it’s likely to get worse as rivers and dams reach dangerous levels. Whole villages have been swept away, and villages south of the devastated area in Sindh may be hit in the coming days.
“Huge swathes of the country are under an ocean of contaminated water. The risk of water-borne disease is high if we do not act fast. We are going to be providing hundreds of thousands of people with clean water and building emergency toilets. We are moving fast with supplies we had ready for such an emergency in-country.”
Oxfam is appealing for $US6 million to help people get through the immediate days and weeks and to boost recovery over the long-term. The agency is also planning to provide hygiene kits to help people who have lost everything in the floods, as well as cooked food and cash for work.
“Our staff and partners have years of experience providing relief in the most difficult emergencies, and we are already there working round the clock to reach those cut off from help.”
