More than 4 million Pakistanis have been made homeless by nearly three weeks of floods, the UN said yesterday, making the critical task of securing greater amounts of aid more urgent.
The UN had earlier said that 2 million people had lost their homes in the worst floods in Pakistan’s history.
Aid agencies have been pushing for more funding as they try to tackle major problems such as food supplies, lack of clean water and shelter and outbreaks of disease.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
The economic costs of the floods are expected to run into the billions of dollars, stepping up pressure on Pakistan’s government just after it had made progress in stabilizing the country through security offensives against Taliban insurgents.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it would extend a US$2 billion assistance package for emergency rehabilitation and reconstruction work.
Aid funding has improved, with nearly half the US$459 million needed to fund initial relief efforts secured after days of lobbying donors. However, the situation on the ground remained grim.
“The donors are improving their contribution. They are giving more and more. The response of donors to this crisis is getting better and better, but it is still inadequate,” UN spokesman Maurizio Giuliano said.
Meanwhile, The US will increase its aid to Pakistan to US$150 million, US Senator John Kerry said yesterday, stressing that Washington did not want Islamist extremism to increase on the back of the crisis.
The US has deployed army helicopters to hard hit areas as part of a package worth US$90 million.
Kerry, who is visiting Pakistan to see the flood damage, said that would increase to US$150 million. The figure was expected to be announced at a UN general assembly meeting in New York yesterday.
Saudi Arabia said it would donate US$80 million to Pakistan, the official Saudi Press Agency reported, making it one of the largest donors. The country has for years sought to project its influence in Pakistan and has funded the spread of hardline Islamic theology there.
Recovering from the floods is likely to dominate the agenda of Pakistan’s army and government in coming months.
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