UNHCR seeks $66 million for communities devastated by floods in Pakistan

News Desk

Islamabad: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is urgently seeking $65.8 million to help more than 650,000 refugees and members of their host communities affected by the recent devastating floods in Pakistan.

As Pakistan faces a colossal challenge to respond to this climate disaster, UNHCR reiterates its call for more support for the country and its people, who have generously hosted Afghan refugees for over four decades.

The scale of devastation from the monsoon on people and infrastructure is hard to comprehend, said a press release issued by UNHCR office on Monday.

According to the latest estimates, unprecedented rainfall and flooding in late August resulted in at least 1,700 deaths, with 12,800 injured, including at least 4,000 children.

Some 7.9 million people have been displaced by the floods, according to the latest estimates, with nearly 600,000 living in relief sites.

Calamity Hit Districts & UNHCR

Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces were most affected, with more than 80 districts declared “calamity hit”. Of these, 41 host an estimated 800,000 Afghan refugees.

Most are in just four districts: Peshawar hosts an estimated 210,000, Quetta over 170,000, Nowshera about 77,700 and Karachi hosts an estimated 71,500 refugees.

Some of those affected spoke to UNHCR about their traumatic experiences as rain and flood waters swept away their lives in minutes. Families rushed to higher ground for safety as dams failed and rivers burst their banks. They were forced to abandon a lifetime of belongings and sleep under open skies.

The UNHCR’s Supplementary Appeal seeks additional funds to address immediate needs including protection, shelter, health, water and sanitation, and education for affected refugees and host communities. It will also assist in the early recovery process, including building up the resilience of refugees and their host communities and rehabilitating damaged public services — schools, health, and water supplies.

The overall UN inter-agency Floods Response Plan, first issued in early September 2022, was revised and launched on October 4 to support the Pakistani government with relief and early recovery activities until May 2023.

The UNHCR’s Supplementary Appeal will run until December 2023.  UNHCR remains alarmed about conditions on the ground. It could take months for flood waters to recede in the hardest-hit areas, as fears rise over threats of waterborne diseases and the safety of millions of affected people, 70 per cent of whom are women and children.

Pre-existing inequalities have been exacerbated by the flooding, and protection risks have increased. UNHCR is leading protection activities and working to ensure that critical needs are identified and addressed through prevention, risk mitigation and other services by specialized actors.

These include, in particular, measures to address gender-based violence and child protection risks. A priority remains timely aid for the most vulnerable, and ensuring that it is delivered in a safe and dignified manner including by building partner capacity and strengthening accountability to affected communities, with outreach on sexual exploitation and complaints mechanisms.

Front-Line of Climate Emergency

Pakistan is on the front-lines of the climate emergency. It is essential that the response incorporates prevention and preparedness measures to avert and minimize the effects of extreme weather events in the future and helps build resilience, particularly among the most vulnerable communities. Environmental sustainability will remain central to the response including connecting schools, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and health centres to renewable energy sources.