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The “great mother”, as it has been affectionately known because of the fertility it has brought to the land, has now drowned hundreds and left millions homeless.

Sindh is the worst-hit province in Pakistan, and some of the places we visited there have only been flooded in the last few days as the monsoon waters have moved inexorably south.

As the UN secretary general said, this is a tsunami in slow motion.

Aid wait

Take the village of Goth Mohammed Ismael, for example.

Like so many villages here, it’s turned into an island, and we found its people bobbing up and down in the filthy brown floodwater, as they waded and swam back to their homes to try to salvage what possessions they could.

Goth Mohammed Ismael was only flooded last week.

Amina, a mother of six, says four children died when the floodwater hit.

“The flood came at one o’clock in the morning,” she told me.

“I was feeding my baby at the time. There was panic everywhere. People were crying and asking each other for help.”

A man called Hamed Bux emerges from the water with a bundle on his head.

It contained just a few clothes, all he had managed to salvage from his home.

“These clothes are all I have left in the world, please help us,” he said.

Help is coming, but painfully slowly.

Most of the flood victims have still received no aid at all.

Hovercraft operation

On the floodwater near Sukkur, we travelled on a Pakistan Navy hovercraft that was looking for victims to rescue, or to help with relief supplies of food and clean drinking water.

Many people want to stay in their homes, even when they are marooned or completely submerged by water; they are determined to protect the only possessions they have left.

Commander Zahid Iqbal and his crew pass relief supplies to the hungry, thirsty and desperate from the hovercraft.

Fighting for aid

“Our hovercraft can reach places where a normal boat cannot,” he says.

“Not in my life have I seen anything like this.viagra But I don’t have any doubt in my mind that, with the help of the entire world, we’ll come out of this situation.”

Helicopters are a vital part of the aid operation here too, though for now there are far too few of them.

Four have been provided by the Afghan National Army (ANA).

You might think the Afghans have enough problems of their own, but they have been quick to help their Pakistani neighbours.

Fighting for aid

We flew on a mission with the ANA, dropping relief supplies from the air near Sukkur.

It was too dangerous for the helicopter to land – partly because there’s very little dry land any more, and partly because desperate people would surround the aircraft and could get hit by the rotor blades.

So instead the helicopter crews drop box loads of high-energy biscuits from the air.

We watched people run and swim through the floodwater to get to the aid drops, and sometimes fight each other for the rations. It is survival of the fittest.

The boxes being dropped are from the UN World Food Programme, and were originally meant for the people of Afghanistan.

On the ground too in Sukkur, aid distributions are chaotic.

The Sindh police force organised one – with supplies they had paid for with their own salaries.

Sadly it descended into chaos, with flood victims pushing and shoving each other so badly the distribution had to be abandoned.

“I can’t blame them,” said Assistant Inspector General Javed Iqbal.

“They need food to give to their families tomorrow.”

Even so, it was tragic to see one flood victim walk away with blood streaming down his face.

He’d come to collect food for his family, and left with a gash to his head.

Pakistani flood survivors evacuate from

Aid agencies are warning outbreaks of disease pose a serious new risk to victims of Pakistan’s worst flooding, as United Nations chief Ban Ki-Moon announces he is to visit the country this weekend.

Monsoons have engulfed Pakistan’s Indus river basin, killing more than 1,600 people and forcing two million from their homes.

A further 14 million, 8% of the country’s population, have been disrupted by the disaster.
Although waters have receded in some areas, the UN says fresh downpours could bring more destruction for aid agencies already facing huge logistical challenges.

Fever, stomach problems and skin diseases are already spreading among survivors of the flooding.

The UN is increasingly worried about water-borne diseases – there have been 36,000 suspected cases of potentially fatal diarrhoea reported so far.

“This is a growing concern. Therefore we are responding with all kinds of preventative as well as curative medication … for outbreaks,” said Maurizio Giuliano, the UN humanitarian operation spokesman.
The UN has appealed for £293m in emergency aid and warned of a wave of deaths if help does not arrive soon.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will fly to Pakistan over the weekend to discuss the flood crisis with Pakistani leaders.
There are fears ncreasing desperation could lead to social unrest and further pressure on a government already on the defensive after being criticised for its response.

“Children are dying now as we speak because of lack of access to clean drinking water,” said Pascal Cuttat, International Committee of the Red Cross Head of Delegation in Islamabad.

:: The Disasters and Emergency Committee has set up an appeal to raise money and received over £10.5m in donations so far.

For detail Here

This rickety wooden bridge is now the only means of crossing the river for the people of upper Swat. Credit: Qasim Berech/Oxfam

Qasim Berech, 30, is a public health expert with Oxfam in Pakistan. He travelled to Upper Swat on 16 August.

People in Upper Swat Valley have been living in a nightmare since the floods began. They’ve been almost completely cut off from the rest of the country. For hundreds of thousands of people, helicopter drops have been the only way to get aid since the waters started to rise.

What concerns me most as an Oxfam worker is the chronic shortage of clean drinking water in many places. Worse still, some people are desperate enough to drink water from the river. The pipes which normally bring them fresh water from springs have been swept away by the floods.

But the river water isn’t clean and we’re worried about outbreaks of disease. We’re already hearing that people are suffering more and more from diarrhea.

It’s now about two and half weeks since the floods began and the waters have finally started to recede in Swat. Today, we have decided that it is time to try to get through and see for ourselves the situation on the ground.

North to Bahrain
My team of five and I begin our journey from Mangora in Lower Swat to reach the city of Bahrain, a city in Upper Swat. It’s been cut off for weeks and is only accessible on foot.

We are carrying with us 100,000 sachets of water purifier powder, closely packed into 400 small cartons. Each sachet will clean ten liters of water in just 20 minutes. It can make the difference between a sick child and a healthy child.

We leave Mangora at 9am by van. The rain is still coming down hard. As a Pakistani, I’ve never seen weather like this in my life. A very old local man says he remembers a flood in 1929 but that it was nothing compared to this. This is unique in my nation’s history.

An hour and a half’s drive gets us only to the village of Fatehpur where we’re told the roads and bridges ahead have been destroyed. We have to leave the car behind and move ahead on foot. I arrange to hire eight laborers to help carry our cartons.

As we walk, I can’t stop looking at the houses, hotels and shops around me. These are concrete buildings which collapsed as if they were made of paper. It’s hard to believe that just water has caused all this destruction and misery.

Muddy and slippery

After walking for half an hour, we stop at a road and hire another van. This time, we get as far as Jarri village before another collapsed bridge forces us to start walking again.

This time, our walk is far more difficult since the track is muddy and slippery. We manage to reach the small town of Madain where, for the third and last time that day, we are able to find another vehicle. But we’ve only been on our way for two or three minutes before another collapsed bridge stops us in our tracks.

We’re not alone on our travels. We stop and ask some men that we pass where they’re from. Most have come from the remote parts of the Upper Swat and have walked for at least a day. They’re heading for Fatehpur to collect food being handed out by the aid agencies. For most of them, this will be the only food they will have had for days. They’re hunched over and carrying sacks of wheat flour, oil, rice, pulses, sugar, salt and biscuits on their backs – enough to keep their families going for a week or more.

A group of women at Bahrain in Swat collect water from the river due to of lack of clean drinking water elsewhere. Credit: Qasim Berech/Oxfam

There are women too – collecting water from the river for their families. They know they shouldn’t drink it. It will make their children ill. But they have no choice.

These people have nowhere to go. People from Swat are very poor – they can’t afford to go somewhere else and rent a home. And they don’t want to leave their homes or their livestock. The luckiest among them will have relatives they can go and stay with – but it’s getting harder to find people not affected by the floods.

Crossing rickety makeshift bridges

It starts to rain even harder, forcing us to slow our walk. It’s difficult to keep your footing in this kind of mud. Everyone is struggling but no-one complains.

There are frightening moments too. Because many bridges have been completely swept away, locals have done the best they can with whatever is to hand. We cross several bridges which are just pieces of wood held together with rope. They’re pretty dangerous – I cross holding on tightly as the bridge shakes from side to side. What worries me most is my team – I have five Oxfam staff with me plus the laborers.

At last, after nearly four hours of hard walking, we reach Bahrain at 4pm. We’re all tired and soaked but know it was worth it. We manage to distribute powder sachets to nearly 3,000 households. At 30 sachets per family, that will give them clean water for 15 days. We will go back again today (Sun) and as many times as we need to. We all need to work together to get help to wherever it’s needed most.

Read More – http://blogs.oxfam.org/en/blog/10-08-24-pakistan-floods-delivering-aid-foot-upper-swat-valley

U.N. sets up health clinics to treat Pakistan's flooding victims

The United Nations has established more than a thousand health clinics across Pakistan in the wake of widespread flooding, a U.N. official said. ”Almost 1,200 mobile health clinics are operating across Pakistan,” said Maurizio Giuliano with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. “For many people, this is the only way to receive health care.”

Water-borne illnesses from contaminated flood waters have erupted nationwide. At least 1 million Pakistanis have crippling diarrhea or respiratory infections. About 65,000 cases of malaria have been reported.

“More than 2 million people have received health care through this system, especially for diarrhea diseases, acute respiratory infections, skin and eye disease,” he said.

“These clinics reach even the remotest areas with teams sometimes walking for six hours and carrying 20 kilograms [44 pounds] of medical supplies on their backs.”

The death toll in the country has climbed to 1,738, the Pakistan Disaster Authority said over the weekend. Officials said last week that 17 million have been affected nationwide. The death toll is expected to rise significantly as flood waters continue to recede and more bodies surface.

Pakistani flood victims face perilous journey home

On Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama issued a presidential order authorizing emergency funds to Pakistan’s flood victims, the White House said.

The president said the use of the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund was in the United States’ interest. Up to $33 million can go toward the country’s crisis.

The United Nations warned that a crisis is building in the eastern province of Balochistan, where nearly 2 million people are affected.

There is a “humanitarian tragedy” with immediate threats of water-borne diseases and food shortages, said Mengeshe Kebede, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees’ representative to Pakistan.

“We need to scale up our activities in the province, or else I think we are heading for a major humanitarian disaster there,” Kebede said.

“I have worked in humanitarian situations globally, and worked in refugee camps in Africa during emergencies, but to be honest I had never seen a situation as devastating as I saw in Balochistan,” he said.

For Detail- http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/09/07/pakistan.flood.aid/?hpt=Sbin

Pakistanis run to get relief supplies thrown from a passing truck near a camp for people displaced by floods in Muzafffargarh district, Punjab province, 8 Sept 2010

More angry flood victims in southern Pakistan have turned against the country’s government, looting a convoy loaded with supplies.

Residents brandishing long sticks and chanting “shame on the government” ripped supplies out of a vehicle loaded with food Wednesday in the city of Sukkur in Sindh province. One man said they had no choice because all the supplies have been going directly to government officials or the Pakistani army.

More than 1,700 people died and nearly 20 million were affected by the worst floods in Pakistan’s history.

The frustration and violence come as the United States is bringing in more helicopters to deliver aid to flooded areas.

U.S. Marines in Sindh province say two additional helicopters arrived Wednesday, with more expected in the coming days, to ferry supplies to those in need.

A U.S. Marine colonel said helicopter crews have been delivering food and other necessities to three or four villages a day, and that the arrival of larger helicopters will allow even more aid to reach flood victims.
In Washington Wednesday, U.S. Vice Admiral Michael LeFever said the military already has delivered about 2,000 tons of relief supplies and has rescued nearly 13,000 people. The U.S. says it is contributing almost $260 million to relief efforts in Pakistan, with some of the money being directed through United Nations programs. It says private citizens have contributed another $8 million.

The United Nations has asked for $460 million to fund its relief efforts, but officials say donors have provided less than two-thirds of what is needed.

Frustration Grips Parts of Flood-Ravaged Pakistan

American actress Angelina Jolie is visiting Pakistan to highlight the need for more international support. Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. refugee agency, told journalists in Islamabad Wednesday that many of the children she has met on her trip are asking for basics like food and water.

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Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images

The international relief effort to help victims of the devastating floods in Pakistan is increasing. The U.S. is donating $55 million, along with relief supplies and assistance.

But help has been slow in reaching millions of people affected by the floods. And now there are concerns among U.S. officials that hard-line Islamist groups are capitalizing on the tragedy.

The floods, which have ravaged many parts of Pakistan, are being called the country’s worst ever natural disaster. The crisis has affected some 14 million people. At least 1,500 people have died, and thousands have been forced to flee their homes.

Bad weather has hampered efforts to get aid into the stricken areas, says Mark Ward, acting director of USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. Ward says even helicopters used to shuttle in aid packages and run rescue missions have often had difficulty taking off.

“The real problem has been the rain. None of us have been able to be as visible and get the access that we wanted because everything has been grounded,” he says.

Supplies are reaching many isolated communities only by four-wheel-drive vehicles and pack mules.

The hardest hit areas — and the most difficult for Pakistani and international relief workers to reach — are in the northwest, where the Taliban and al-Qaida have strongholds.

The Pakistani government is being criticized for its slow and seemingly ineffective response to the crisis. The criticism was compounded when Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari went ahead with a European tour despite the unfolding disaster back home.

Thomas Johnson, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., says charitable organizations associated with militant Islamist groups have capitalized on the situation by providing food and shelter to people in need.

“The government was very slow in responding, the army was criticized by not being able to mobilize their people fast enough, and in some very volatile areas. So the Islamists have been taking advantage of this by trying to fill the gaps that the government has not been able to meet,” Johnson says.

At least one of the Islamist groups providing relief to flood victims is associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba, the organization blamed for the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Johnson says the radical group has charity networks already set up in parts of the country.

Ward says the militants’ presence in the affected areas may have helped them respond quickly.

Khalid Tanveer/AP

“While it may be true that some terrorist groups have been providing some support, my guess is it’s because they were already there. They haven’t had any better luck with access than anybody else,” he says.

Johnson says the Islamist groups will likely use the opportunity to incite anger among flood victims against the government. Johnson says hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people have been displaced.

“And whenever there are internally displaced people, the Taliban and other Islamists have been able to take advantage of this, trying to influence their behavior and their world outlook,” Johnson says.

Christine Parthemore, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security, says the Pakistan floods represent more than just a humanitarian problem. She says it is inherently a security concern for the United States.

“Just based on our troops in the region, our goals in the region, our work with allies like India in the region — anything that destabilizes Pakistan or affects its government’s ability to keep control of the country has enormous stakes for the United States on the security side,” Parthemore says.

For Detail- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129112225

Pakistan flood aid: who donated what? Click image for full graphic. Illustration: Jenny Ridley for the Guardian

The international response to Pakistan’s flood emergency has been sluggish and ungenerous compared with relief efforts after previous disasters, a leading aid agency said today as the UN warned that its emergency workers were in danger of being overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis.

Oxfam said the UN’s financial tracking system showed that as of August 9, governments had committed less than $45m, with an additional $91m pledged – considerably less money than was collected for previous disaster relief efforts over a similar period. India, Pakistan’s much larger and wealthier neighbour, has not offered any aid or assistance at all.

“Within the first 10 days of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, which left 3.5 million people homeless, the international community had committed $247m and pledged £45m… In the first 10 days of Cyclone Nargis, which affected 2.4 million people when it struck Myanmar [Burma], almost $110m was committed and $109m pledged,” Oxfam said. Likewise, $742m was committed to Haiti and $920m pledged after the earthquake there in January.

About 14 million people have now been affected by the flooding, and about 1,600 people killed. Both figures are expected to rise in the coming days. Pakistan’s federal flood commission estimated that 300,000 homes have been destroyed or seriously damaged so far and 2.6m acres (105,000 sq km) of croplands submerged.

“Six million [of the 14 million affected] are children and 3 million women of child-bearing age. This is a higher figure than in the 2005 south Asia tsunami,” the UN’s humanitarian affairs co-ordination office said.

Neva Khan, Oxfam country director in Pakistan, said: “The rains are continuing and [with] each hour that passes the flooding is multiplying misery across the entire country. This is a mega disaster and it needs a mega response.”

To date, only five countries – Britain, the US, Australia, Italy and Kuwait – have committed or pledged more than $5m in new funding.

“Everyone – donors, the UN, aid agencies, the government – all of us need to shift gear on this crisis,” Khan said. “This is the biggest disaster in the world right now and we all need to get behind it.”

In a memorandum circulated todayyesterday, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, warned that its capacity and that of other UN and international agencies to respond to the crisis created by the flooding was being “tested to the limits”.

The memo said: “Our staff in Pakistan say the situation is among the most difficult they have faced … Meeting the demands of this crisis is a massive challenge.” Problems included blocked access routes, collapsed bridges, viagra of dry land to erect tents, lack of clean drinking water and sanitation facilities, shortages of relief supplies, and “difficult security conditions”.

The Pakistani Taliban today urged the government not to accept western aid money, and offered to fund relief efforts itself. Taliban fighters have in the past attacked international aid groups in the country, accusing them of trying to introduce “un-Islamic” values

“Pakistan should reject this aid to maintain sovereignty and independence,” a Taliban spokesman told the Associated Press.

It was confirmed today that India, Pakistan’s historical foe and close neighbour, has offered no help so far and apparently has no plans to do so. A spokeswoman for the Indian High Commission in London said: “No decision has been taken so far on providing aid or assistance.”

But while no aid was forthcoming, the Indian army today sought the help of the Pakistan military to locate the bodies of 28 Indian soldiers who were swept across the provisional border in Kashmir by a raging Himalayan river.

A spokeswoman for the Pakistani High Commission in London said she was “not surprised” by India’s stance and declined to criticise the international response: “Every country has its own priorities. A lot of other countries have offered to help.”

Abdul Basit, foreign ministry spokesman in Islamabad, said: “So far, there is no aid from India for the calamity.” He declined to comment further. A senior Pakistani official said: “We are not expecting anything (from India). It does seem a bit strange. Even just as a goodwill gesture, it would be important.”

After the earthquake that devastated Pakistan-administered Kashmir five years ago, India gave 25 tonnes of food, medicine, tents, blankets and plastic sheets. This time Delhi has confined itself to sending a letter of condolence.

Meanwhile, instead of aid, Indian newspapers have focused on how Indian commerce could benefit by exporting sugar and cotton to a stricken Pakistan.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari returned home today after a European tour to face a chorus of criticism over his government’s response to the crisis. Zardari enraged critics for going ahead with visits to London and Paris despite the emergency.

Detail Here- http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/10/pakistan-flood-international-aid

Pakistani flood survivors hang out outside their temporary tent shelters in Makli, Sindh province, Southern Pakistan, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010. (AP / Vincent Thian)

TORONTO — Ottawa must give Canadians more time to aid in Pakistan flood-relief efforts by extending its pledge to match donations dollar-for-dollar, doctors headed to the region said Tuesday.

Canadians have been slow to respond with donations for the Pakistan flooding compared to other disasters like the Haiti earthquake, and the deadline for the dollar matching commitment is Sunday.

The doctors, joined by Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis, called on Ottawa to extend it to the end of the month.

A fund for medical supplies set up by the doctors and the North American Muslim Foundation has raised about $3 million.

That amount lags far behind the outpouring of more than $100 million Canadians donated for victims of the Haiti earthquake. The federal government also matched those donations.

Muslims are busy fasting during the holy month of Ramadan and may not yet be in the mindset to help until the month ends on Sept. 10, Karygiannis said.

Dr. Shahnaz Dar and Dr. Muzna Ahmad were to leave Tuesday night to join two other Canadian doctors currently on the ground in the flood-stricken country.

Exhausted Pakistani doctors are treating up to 200 patients a day, said Dar, who added that’s four times the number of patients she treats at her practice in Toronto.

“That’s a lot of people in one day. I know I see 50 people here and by the end of the day I’m tired,” she said.

Farooq Khan, the foundation’s executive director, said he thinks Canadians are slower to respond to this crisis over the Haitian earthquake because they don’t realize the extent of the suffering in Pakistan.

He returned from Pakistan two weeks ago and will be among another group of Canadians leaving on the weekend.

“The level of destruction that I observed and I witnessed far exceeds what I saw during the tsunami, for example, or the (Pakistan) earthquake of 2005 or the Haiti earthquake, and I have been in all these situations,” he said.

Canadians should put aside any political feelings they have towards Pakistan’s government, and instead think of the regular people who are dying or who have lost everything, Khan added.

“This is not an Islamic tragedy, this is not a Muslim tragedy this is not a Pakistan tragedy. It’s a human tragedy,” he said.

“These are human beings, so I would urge and request all Canadians to please come forward and do their share.”

In a January photo-op, Harper walked into the Red Cross to make a personal donation for Haiti earthquake victims, and Karygiannis said a similar donation for Pakistan would trigger money from the Canadian public.

Some 1,700 people have died in the floods, but Khan said the devastation from the floods will linger for months, with crops being wiped out and causing food shortages and high inflation.

The need for medical treatment is high, with the most recent numbers from the United Nations showing that half a million people have respiratory infections, and thousands more have malaria or acute diarrhea.

Tests have shown cholera is in the water supply.

The United Nations says it has not yet received enough money to provide assistance to the 21 million Pakistanis affected. It brought in Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie on Tuesday to draw attention to the situation.

A second group of doctors will leave on the weekend and bring along supplies like baby formula, canned vegetables, and vitamins.

Dar says she and the other Canadian doctors are paying up to $20,000 out of their own pockets to travel.

Her daughter and husband are also accompanying her to shoot a documentary and to blog about the team’s efforts.

Detail Check Here –

http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100908/ottawa-pakistan-donation-deadline-100908/20100908/?hub=MontrealHome

Ten million without shelter in Pakistan floods: UN

KARACHI — Pakistan’s devastating floods have left 10 million people without shelter, the United Nations said Tuesday, as authorities rushed to bolster river defences to save two towns from catastrophe.

“According to new estimates following the most recent flooding in Sindh… at least 10 million people are currently without shelter,” said Maurizio Giuliano, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokesman.

He said the floods in Pakistan had become “one of the worst humanitarian disasters in UN history, in terms of number of people that we have to assist and also the area covered.”

Giuliano’s assessment was echoed by Valerie Amos, the new UN humanitarian chief, who arrived in Pakistan Tuesday.

“The floods here in Pakistan have affected almost 21 million people — it is one of the biggest humanitarian crises the world has seen,” said Amos, who takes over from UN John Holmes.

River defences in Pakistan’s flood-hit south were bolstered Tuesday in a bid to save two towns from catastrophic flooding, six weeks after monsoons caused devastating floods in the country’s worst disaster in living memory.

Advancing floodwaters continue to threaten the towns of Johi and Dadu in Sindh province, with 19 of its 23 districts deluged and 2.8 million people displaced, according to provincial authorities.

“Armed forces and irrigation officials are racing against time to save Johi and Dadu,” said provincial irrigation minister Jam Saifullah Dharejo.

“Floodwaters are increasing pressure on Johi embankment, while the raging waters are just five kilometres (three miles) away from Dadu city,” Dharejo said.

Dadu and Johi are about 320 kilometres north of the main southern port city of Karachi.

Meanwhile, the UN’s development chief for Asia said the world must respond to Pakistan’s crisis and help it rebuild to secure hearts and minds in the insurgency-wracked nation.

Helping Pakistanis rebuild homes and businesses, reduced to rubble by the unprecedented deluge, will be even more important to long-term regional and global stability, said UN Assistant Secretary General Ajay Chhibber.

“Now that the water has receded in large parts… what’s clear from these visits is that the early recovery needs to start now,” said Chhibber during a visit Monday to the militant-hit northwest.

“If there’s greater unrest in Pakistan it will have much greater regional and global implications.

“This is a country that is a very large, very important country in the region, a very large, very important country in the globe, so that battle for the hearts and minds of people here is very important.”

Global cash pledges have been slow coming to bolster rescue and relief efforts, with more than 21 million people affected by the floods.

As Chhibber toured part of Nowshera town flattened by surging waters last month, one villager, Amanat Khan, stood helplessly next to a pile of broken bricks and wood that was his home until the floods smashed it to pieces.

“We’re completely paralysed with shock,” said the 42-year-old father of four, who also lost his job in a medical store to the waters.

“I trust in God Almighty he will help me but right now I have no idea how to rebuild my life.”

Last week the UN said, that despite an improvement in aid donations after a visit to Pakistan by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in mid-August, extra pledges had “almost stalled” since a week earlier.

An initial relief appeal has been about two-thirds funded, and Chhibber said a second appeal would be launched on September 17, seeking help for the next steps in Pakistan’s recovery.

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie arrived in northwest Pakistan Tuesday with the UN’s refugee agency to draw world attention to the crisis.

Jolie, the 34-year-old actress and roving envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, visited communities where 1.7 million Afghan refugees live.

“From what I understand the situation is on a scale that we have not really seen the likes of. It’s on a huge scale,” Jolie told reporters at a camp for the displaced.

The floods have killed 1,760 people but disaster officials have said the number of deaths is likely to rise “significantly” when the missing are accounted for.

Detail Here- http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/ten-million-without-shelter-in-pakistan-floods-un-20100908-14zt8.html

Rotary Helps Flood Victims in Pakistan

From raising funds to distributing life-saving shelters, Rotary clubs worldwide are assisting flood victims in Pakistan.

The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, one of the largest humanitarian service organizations in the world, is accepting member contributions to its Pakistan Flooding Recovery Fund to support long-term recovery in the affected areas, which have sustained billions of dollars in damage according to the Pakistani government.

Rotary clubs are also providing immediate humanitarian assistance to flood victims, which the United Nations estimates to be more than 17.2 million people. “Rotary members in both Pakistan and Afghanistan are working together day and night to help those in need.” says Shehzad Ahmed, a member of the Rotary Club of Lahore, Pakistan who is spearheading flood relief efforts.

Among the first international relief to reach flood victims in Pakistan was ShelterBox, a U.K.-based disaster response organization supported by Rotary clubs worldwide. More than 1,900 ShelterBox tents and 600 ShelterBox kits, each containing a 10-person tent, a water purification system and other survival necessities for up to six months, were pre-positioned in Pakistan in June following predictions of a particularly bad monsoon season.

In partnership with the French Embassy Islamabad and National Disaster Management Authority Pakistan, Rotary members distributed the ShelterBox kits to the hardest hit areas. John Leach, ShelterBox Head of Operations, says, “The need for shelter in Pakistan is growing by the day. We need to get more aid in as quickly as possible. By working with our international partners we can make this happen.” ShelterBox is sending 5,000 water filtration units and 2,500 water containers to flooded areas. More ShelterBox kits are due to arrive in Pakistan soon.

A Rotary club in Houston, Texas, USA, filled two 40-foot shipping containers with relief supplies, and is coordinating with Rotary clubs in Pakistan to deliver them to Karachi, where local clubs will help distribute the goods.

A Rotary club in Multan, Pakistan has established five flood relief camps at local hospitals. Rotary members are collecting tents, household items, food, and medicine.

Experts warn of a second wave of deaths from water-borne diseases such as cholera unless flood victims have access to supplies of fresh drinking water. World Water Works, a Rotary-club sponsored relief organization that provides disaster victims with water purification tools, has sent more than 600 boxes to the southern province of Sindh. Hugo Pike, chair of World Water Works and a member of the Rotary club in Avon, England, says each box contains a water purification kit that can supply each member of a family of four with about 2 quarts of drinking water every day for a year.

Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Rotary’s global membership is approximately 1.2 million men and women who belong to more than 33,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Learn more at rotary.org.

For Detail – http://www.happynews.com/news/922010/rotary-helps-flood-victims-pakistan.htm