Daily Assessment Updates on Torrential Rain and Flood Situation in Pakistan
August 20, 2010
Overview:
Over the course of July and early August 2010, Pakistan experienced the worst monsoon-related floods in living memory. Heavy rainfall, flash floods and riverine floods have devastated large parts of Pakistan since the arrival of seasonal monsoon rains on 22 July, 2010. Latest estimates indicate that around 20 million people have been affected by the floods. Assessments are ongoing to ascertain the scale of damages in the affected areas. The official death toll has risen to 1,343, with 1,588 people now reported as injured. The latest NDMA report indicates that over 722,000 houses have been either damaged or destroyed. But the figures may rise further as information from different parts is yet to come.
Details damage assessment is going on across Sindh and Southern Punjab by UN-OCHA and SPO is also part of joint assessment in Sindh. Data currently available indicates that Shikarpur, Kashmore, Jacobabad, Khairpur, Dadu and Naushahro Feroze have been the hardest hit districts in Sindh. Similarly, districts Layyah, D.G. Khan, Muzzafargarh and Rajanpur are hardest hit districts in southern Punjab.
The flood wave continues to make its way through the southern province of Sindh, where millions have been affected from the combined impact of torrential rains and unprecedented water levels in the rivers.
Through rapid assessments, humanitarian agencies are identifying desperate needs of affected communities and so far identified desperate needs include: food, clean drinking water and purification materials, emergency health services, tents and shelter kits, cooking sets, mosquito nets, and other non-food items (NFI).
In order to facilitate coordinated humanitarian response in the affected areas and enable humanitarian organizations to have substantial planning for their humanitarian activities, SPO, with the support of its partner organizations, initiated rapid assessments in the affected areas and share it with relevant stakeholders in the form of daily update. Date-wise situational update and rapid assessments of damages caused by torrential rains and floods are available on SPO website and can be accessed on URL http://www.spopk.org.
Daily update for 20th August 2010, providing details of SPO’s response to the emergency situation and relief activities being carried out for mitigation of the miseries of affected communities across the country, is provided below:
SPO intervention in Flood affected areas till August 20, 2010
Keeping in view the identified desperate needs of affected communities in Sindh, SPO teams besides coordination of humanitarian efforts at Provincial level in Sindh, have initiated various humanitarian interventions. Hitherto, following activities have been carried out and reported:
Sindh Province:
SPO Hyderabad team besides coordination of relief activities in majority of flood affected areas in Sindh has taken lead in WFP Joint Assessment. So far initial flood assessments in district Shikarpur, Ghotki, Dadu, Jamshoro and Matiari have been completed.
Initial Flood Assessment Reports for the following areas have been compiled in comprehensive report form and attached herewith for use of humanitarian organizations planning to initiate relief activities in these areas:
