Geneva, 1 October 2003 - The monsoon rains hit Sindh Province in Pakistan with a vengeance this year. The rains started on 23 July and lashed the province continuously for the first seven days causing extensive flooding and making thousands of people homeless. In Tharparkar such rains had not been seen for more than 50 years. More than ten thousand houses were destroyed leaving the households exposed to the elements as well as to the threat of snakebites, epidemics and lack of food and potable water. The agricultural loss was great as seeds had been sown just prior to the rains and many of the livestock perished in the rush of water. Roads, electricity and water facilities were badly interrupted or cut off. Mithi and Diplo were the worst hit areas and according to the authorities in Badin district, some 5,000 villages in Badin and 232 villages in Mithi and Diplo Taulka in the district of Tharparkar were severely affected.
Relief camps were set up in schools, town halls and other government buildings and more than 65,000 people were being looked after in camps across the province.
Reviewing the whole situation and requests from partners, ACT member Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan (CWS-P/A) in its first phase of distribution assisted 1,975 families with tents in Taulka Mithi and Diplo in the district of Tharparkar.
After the completion of the first phase it was decided to further support 1,200 of the worst affected families with food and non food items which were standardized and decided in the INGO c-oordination meeting. CWS-P/A, in partnership with the Lower Sindh Rural Development Association (LSRDA) and Thardeep Rural Development Program (TRDP), distributed these items from 2 to 5 September.
The 1,200 families were selected out of 7,500 families according to the following selection criteria:
- Families who has lost their houses
- Families who were sheltering in the sand dunes
- Families whose household possessions were washed away
- Female headed houses holds
Two distribution points were set up, one in Diplo town and the second in Roshan Abad to ensure an easy and quick distribution process as well as easy access for the beneficiaries. The materials were procured from Karachi and transported to the distribution points. The assistance package included:
|
S.No
|
Items |
Quantity
|
|
1
|
Wheat flour |
40kg
|
|
2
|
Cooking oil |
05 liters
|
|
3
|
Pluses |
07 liters
|
|
4
|
Tea( Danedar) |
0.25
|
|
5
|
Rice |
10 kg
|
|
6
|
Sugar |
02 kg
|
|
7
|
Salt |
1 packet
|
| Non Food items | ||
|
8
|
Plates - 25" Dia (Alluminum) |
3
|
|
9
|
Cooking pots with lid - 3 Ltrs. |
2
|
|
10
|
Thaal - 14" (Alluminum) |
1
|
|
11
|
Bowl - 5" (Alluminum) |
1
|
|
12
|
Glasses |
2
|
|
13
|
Tawa - 11" |
1
|
|
14
|
Box of Matches |
1
|
|
15
|
Spoon |
1
|
| Hygiene Kit | ||
| ORS |
3
|
|
| Sanitary Clothing Cotton 12" wide |
1
|
|
| Lota |
1
|
|
| Detergent Soap |
4
|
|
| Dettol Soap |
3
|
|
| Musafa Powder for water purification |
250
|
Impact
The provision of food and non food packages to the most vulnerable flood affected families was timely and appreciated as there was a serious food crisis. The women and the children, being the most vulnerable, were the prime beneficiaries.
Thank you for your attention.
For further information please contact:
ACT Director, Thor-Arne Prois (phone ++41 22 791 6033 or mobile phone ++ 41 79 203 6055) or
ACT Appeals Officer, Mieke Weeda (phone ++ 41 22 791 6035 or mobile phone ++ 41 79 285 2916)
ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human need through coordinated emergency response.
The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.