KEY DEVELOPMENTS

 From October 1 to 4, USAID/OFDA Acting Director Mark Ward visited Pakistan to observe ongoing USAID relief and recovery efforts, meet with Government of Pakistan (GoP) officials, and discuss USAID/OFDA programs with beneficiaries and grantees. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPk) Province, Mr. Ward visited a U.N. World Food Program (WFP) food-for-work project, funded in part by USAID, to rebuild damaged homes in Charsadda District. In Nowshera District, Mr. Ward visited a USAID-funded U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) project designed to help farmers initiate planting activities in flood-affected areas. Mr. Ward also traveled to Pano Aqil air base in Sindh Province to observe ongoing helicopter relief operations.

According to the GoP National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), receding water has allowed many displaced families to return to areas of origin, particularly in KPk and Punjab, where the GoP and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) estimate that more than 95 percent of the displaced have returned to previously flooded areas.  

In Sindh Province, parts of Dadu and Qamber Shahdadkot districts remain inundated due to the flooding of Manchar Lake. The NDMA recently reported that up to 85 percent of affected populations in Sindh remain displaced.  

The GoP National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and local authorities continue to register flood-affected individuals and distribute debit cards, valued at approximately $230 each. As of October 5, NADRA had distributed cards to 290,000 families. However, the U.N. reports some confusion among the displaced over eligibility for GoP debit cards, with some believing that compensation is limited to individuals residing in displacement camps.

This week, USAID/OFDA provided an additional $9.8 million for RAPID-a response fund that will provide quick-impact grants to organizations working in flood-affected areas. The most recent contribution brings the RAPID response fund to nearly $12.6 million. To date, 15 local organizations have received RAPID grants for emergency relief projects in five flood-affected provinces.