Reuters AlertNet Lite - Heat, hunger and frustration following Pakistan floods

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Heat, hunger and frustration following Pakistan floods

02 Jul 2007 13:57:00 GMT
Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) - Switzerland
By Mubashir Fida, International Federation Information Officer, Turbat, Baluchistan

Website: Website: http://www.ifrc.org

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The Nawaz family from the Gadaab slum area of Karachi had their one-bedroom home destroyed by the violent storm which hit the city on 23 June. Thirteen members of the family were trapped in the rubble and 19-year-old Rahimzadi died as a result of her injuries. The Pakistan Red Crescent is operating mobile medical teams in the area while it will be distributing food packs to 500 families in Gadaab. (p15860)

It's Friday prayer time in Turbat and the loudspeakers are eerily silent, when they would normally be blaring the call to prayer. However the mosques of this remote town, which lies 75km from the Iranian border, are full anyway, with flood-ravaged residents seeking some comfort.

Turbat is located in the Kech valley in the south-western corner of Baluchistan and has been cut off by road since 26 June. There is no power. The flood waters and rain, which accompanied cyclone Yemyin, tore through the town and surrounding districts, damaging or destroying homes and infrastructure.

Following the heavy rains, residents now have to endure blisteringly hot, humid conditions. This area of Pakistan is harsh and unforgiving at the best of times, with a bleak landscape of brown compacted mud, rocks and craggy mountains devoid of much vegetation.

Two staff members from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reached Turbat on 28 June and quickly discovered what the urgent needs are.

"Food is the number one priority at the moment," says the International Federation's disaster management coordinator in Pakistan, Asar ul Haq.

"This place is completely cut off. While the flood water has subsided, all major roads have been damaged and bridges have been washed out. With no traffic coming in, food is becoming scarce in some places," says ul Haq.

The International Federation, working with the Pakistan Red Crescent, is arranging for a one week ration of food for 3,000 families to be brought in. The food may have to be delivered by one of the government's C-130 Hercules flights, which have begun arriving, if the roads aren't repaired soon.

Turbat is just one of hundreds of towns and villages affected across seven districts of Baluchistan. The provincial relief commissioner estimates that 900,000 people may have been affected by the storms and flooding.

"The major problem is access and communications," ul Haq explains. "Much of Baluchistan is remote and sparsely populated. With roads out, telephone lines down and electricity off, finding out who is affected is as big a challenge as helping them."

The local authorities say it will be days before the full impact of the cyclone and deluge will be known. There is a reported death toll of 34 in Baluchistan, but that is at best a "guesstimate," according to officials.

There is a sense of frustration amongst affected communities who can do little but sit and wait. Schools have become emergency shelter centres, jam packed with disgruntled families whose homes were washed away.

Local Principal Mohammad Baksh surveys his classrooms, now full of flood affected people, and recounts how he and his family fled as the Sorab dam burst, wiping out 95 percent of the 500 homes in his village.

"In the night, suddenly the dam burst washing away our houses. We were left homeless and barely escaped and took refuge here. We desperately need food...we don't have anything to eat and we need shelter," he said.

A Pakistan Red Crescent assessment team is on its way from Quetta to Turbat to work with the International Federation team already there. They will also help coordinate the delivery of 2.1 tonnes of medical supplies, which are being sent from Red Cross Red Crescent warehouses in the North West Frontier Province, which was hit by a devastating earthquake almost two years ago.

The Baluchistan response follows on from the efforts of the Pakistan Red Crescent supported by the International Federation and the ICRC in the neighboring province of Sindh.

The Pakistan Red Crescent is running medical camps in slum areas of Karachi, treating affected people following the 23 June storm which claimed over 200 lives. The teams saw over 1,000 patients in just three days - many of them children.

The National Society is also operating medical and relief teams in the districts of Dadu and Thatta, which have suffered flooding as a result of heavy rain.

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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Last updated:Mon Jul 2 14:00:24 2007