Reuters AlertNet Lite - Pakistanis face nightmarish conditions in flood areas

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FROM THE FIELD

Pakistanis face nightmarish conditions in flood areas

02 Jul 2007 16:45:00 GMT
Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) - Switzerland
John Tulloch, Communications Coordinator for the International Federation

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

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International Federation disaster management manager Asar ul Haq talks with residents of Danok village on the outskirts of Turbat. Seventy five percent of the homes of this village have been destroyed or badly damaged.

People are plastering themselves with mud in an effort to keep cool as the miserable conditions continue for flood-affected people in the Kech district of Baluchistan in western Pakistan.

The suffocating humidity and lack of clean water and electricity have been making life miserable for tens of thousands of people since Cyclone Yemyin swept through the region on 26 June. As flood waters recede, the air is rank with the smell of rotting goat carcasses, the gruesome remnants of herds once part of the livelihoods of local people.

The International Federation's information officer, Mubashir Fida, has been in Turbat since 28 June and says people are resorting to desperate measures to cope with the conditions, which are expected to worsen in coming days as more bad weather arrives.

"There is only sporadic electricity in Turbat town while in villages, there has been no power for six days," he says. "Clean water is scarce and people seek shade under trees during the day and some even smear mud on their bodies to make the temperatures more bearable."

Despite the tough conditions, assistance is beginning to get through. The International Federation and Pakistan Red Crescent team in Turbat has located and fixed four water pumps and tanks, which are now supplying 800 families with running water. Fida says the response of local people in the village of Zargept was touching yet belied the desperation they had been experiencing.

"Children were dancing and screaming with joy as the water began to flow and splashed about celebrating," he says. "As we've traveled around the area over the past few days, people have been literally crying out to us for water."

Red Cross Red Crescent scales up response

The International Federation and the Pakistan Red Crescent are scaling up their response as the full magnitude of the flood devastation comes to light in Baluchistan. The International Federation estimates that at least 800,000 people have been affected by the flooding, which as also left 250,000 homeless.

In order to get help where it's needed immediately, the International Federation has released 250,000 Swiss francs ($206,000 USD / 152,000) from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund.

The initial response will include 7,500 food packs (6,000 packs for Baluchistan and 1,500 packs for Sindh) and 2.1 tonnes of essential medical supplies. Each food ration can feed a family of seven for a week.

A six-person Pakistan Red Crescent medical team has joined the International Federation and National Society disaster management staff already on the ground in Turbat.

Further assistance will be outlined as assessments come in. There is no doubt a large need for shelter, food and water.

Villages stood little chance

What is emerging in Turbat and the surrounding areas of Kech is that communities were extremely vulnerable, and their houses stood little chance of withstanding the flood waters. In such a predominantly dry area, mud houses with thatch roofs are often situated along river banks or in dry river beds.

Villages such as Koshkalat, where 200 families lived, have been decimated, with every single dwelling destroyed.

Twenty-five-year-old Sabir Ali is still coming to terms with the events of the night of 26 June, when he and his extended family of 25 people lost their home.

"It was a terrible night for us - a nightmare. We were sleeping and the flood waters started entering our home. We rushed out without even putting on our shoes and ran to higher ground. We spent the whole night in the open. It was terrible and we thought it was the end for us," he says.

The experience was equally traumatic for 35-year-old Muhammad Afzal and his family of six.

"We were asleep when the waters started entering our home. My daughter was caught under a collapsing wall and dislocated her shoulder. Neighbors came to help but it was horrible, dreadful," he explains.

Muhammad and his family are staying in one of the communities now benefiting from a running water pump and tank. Food and medical assistance from the International Federation and Pakistan Red Crescent will also be directed to their village.

The International Federation and Pakistan Red Crescent are coordinating with the government of Pakistan and a range of organizations, such as various UN agencies and NGOs, to pull together a rapid response to bring help to the thousands suffering as a result of the flooding.

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

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Last updated:Mon Jul 2 16:48:35 2007