Flood victims face harsh winter: UN

UNITED NATIONS: The onslaught of winter coupled with the risk of more children suffering from acute respiratory infections and malnutrition, even as polio cases increase, is compounding the hardships faced by millions of Pakistan flood victims, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned Tuesday.

“This crisis is far from over. It has just evolved in very different ways from one part of Pakistan to the next and the humanitarian effort has had to adapt swiftly to reach children and women most in need as their needs change,” said Daniel Toole, UNICEF’s Regional Director for South Asia.

He said that the humanitarian situation in Pakistan remains precarious. A fifth of Pakistan’s territory was ravaged by the monsoon floods that affected 20 million people.

Some 10,000 schools and rural health centers were damaged and important infrastructure was destroyed or badly damaged, including water and sanitation systems, bridges and roads.

“Although most people have returned to their home areas, many have returned to near total destruction with no homes, no crops, no food and no cash,” Toole said.

UNICEF says it requires over $82 million to continue with its life-saving and recovery programmes in Pakistan.

“In the north, snow has fallen and we are delivering winter clothes and supplies to help families prepare for a harsh winter, while in the south very slow receding waters have meant over a million lives are still on hold.

The coming cold months will sharply increase the numbers of respiratory infections and malnutrition, two of the biggest killers of Pakistani children,” Toole added.