ISLAMABAD: Monsoon floods in Pakistan have killed 371 people and affected nearly 4.5 million, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Friday.
As in 2010 and 2011, most of those hit by the latest floods are in Sindh province, where the NDMA said 2.8 million were affected, with nearly 890,000 in Punjab and 700,000 in Balochistan.
Nearly 290,000 people around the country have been forced to seek shelter in relief camps, NDMA said in figures published on its website.
The floods began in early September, with nearly 80 killed in flash floods, mostly in the northwest and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
An NDMA spokesman said the government was not yet appealing for foreign assistance.
“The government’s point of view is that the situation will be handled from own resources,” Ahmad Kamal told AFP.
More than a million acres of crops have been destroyed by the floods across the country, NDMA said, and nearly 8,000 cattle have been killed.
UN children’s agency UNICEF, quoting a separate flood assessment, said at least 2.8 million people had been affected, including 1.4 million children, of whom more than 390,000 are under five.
UNICEF said it was providing 183,000 people a day with drinking water but warned it urgently needed more funds.
“Children from very poor families are among the worst affected by the severe flooding and they need our immediate help,” said UNICEF Pakistan Deputy Representative Karen Allen.
“UNICEF urgently needs $15.4 million to scale up its water, sanitation and hygiene response to reach around 400,000 people over the next three to six months.” More
