UNITED NATIONS: With the arrival of winter, the humanitarian needs of the flood-affected people of Pakistan have intensified and more resources are urgently needed to deal with the situation, a UN Spokesman said on Friday.
In an update on the situation left behind by the devastating August floods, the UN Secretary-General’s Spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, told the regular noon briefing in New York that even as flood waters recede, more than 20 million people continue to depend on humanitarian aid, adding that reconstruction efforts are beginning in some areas.
“To date, in support of the Government response, our humanitarian partners have reached more than 4.7 million people with aid since the onset of the flood,” Dujarric told reporters.
Some 2.6 million people have received food assistance, he said. “Our (humanitarian) partners have also helped 125,000 children to resume their education, including through more than 500 temporary learning centres.” However, schools remain inaccessible for more than two million children.
“More resources are urgently needed,” the spokesman said, noting that so far only 23 per cent of the $816 million Floods Response Plan has been received.
