ISLAMABAD - The United States on Monday sent more relief goods for the Pakistani flood affectees.
“In continuation of humanitarian assistance from US three flights carrying flood relief assistance landed at Sukkur Airport. Total of 10 flights from US have landed in Pakistan carrying relief goods for the flood affectees,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said. He added: “Humanitarian assistance from the US is welcomed with warmth and gratitude.”
This week, the US vowed to continue to partner with Pakistan to alleviate the damage from recent catastrophic floods and torrential rains that have claimed the lives of nearly 1,400 people, including 496 children and affected millions of others.
“We are here at a very difficult moment for Pakistan. The floods have been just devastating in this country and it’s capturing the world’s attention,” said Derek Chollet, a senior State Department diplomat, after meetings with Pakistani leaders in Islamabad.
The US diplomat said that he and his delegation are visiting the country to express solidarity with its people and to show that “the United States has Pakistan’s back in this crisis.”
Chollet noted that Washington had already pledged more than $30 million in response to the destructive flooding, saying the US will be making more aid announcements soon.
“We fully recognise that this is going to be a long-term challenge for Pakistan and the United States, as Pakistan’s partner, is here for the long term,” he maintained.
The catastrophic flooding, blamed on climate change-driven, erratic monsoon rains, has made almost 700,000 people homeless, affected an estimated 33 million across the country of 220 million people, and drenched one-third of Pakistan since mid-June when the seasonal rainfall began.
The United Nations says the seasonal downpours had broken a century-long record and dumped more than five times the 30-year average for rainfall in some parts of the country.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also visited Pakistan this week to tour flood-hit areas and expressed his “deep solidarity” with Pakistanis. He appealed for the ‘massive support’ of the international community to help the country deal with the emergency.
The UN has called for $160 million in international assistance to help the flood victims. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said more than 6.4 million flood victims need humanitarian support.
More than 50 international humanitarian relief flights have already arrived in Pakistan from countries such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, China, France, Iran, Britain, Azerbaijan, Norway and Kazakhstan. The Foreign Ministry in Islamabad said more flights were on the way.
The WHO has warned that stagnant water can give rise to water-borne and vector-borne diseases in flood-affected districts, saying almost 10% of Pakistan’s health facilities have been damaged or destroyed
