5 million people affected downpours in Pakistan

A heavy downpour in the last twenty-four hours has caused further flooding in Sindh in southern Pakistan as  monsoon rains affect 4.9 million. Flooding in Baluchistan is causing further misery.

In some of the worst affected areas of Sindh, 166mm of rain fell in a day. Over one million houses have been damaged so far.

Floods in Pakistan in the summer of 2010 were the worst in 80 years.

One-fifth of the country lay underwater, 18 million people struggled to find food and water and to keep a roof over their heads. Sindh was one of the worst affected parts of the country.

Caritas Pakistan’s National Coordinator for disaster Management Eric Dayal said earlier by phone that the current flooding in Sindh was almost the same in severity as last year.

Badin escaped flooding last year, but has been particularly badly hit in 2011. The district administration has set up 142 relief camps at different points to accommodate more than 40,000 displaced people.

Caritas responded last year with food, shelter and medical help.  Caritas spent over US$10.6 million (7.5 million euro) in the first five months alone.

Mr. Dayal says Caritas Pakistan is gearing up to respond once more, but much of the community flood prevention work carried over the last 12 months should reduce the impact this time around.

Caritas Internationalis Secretary General Michel Roy is travelling to Pakistan on 17 September for one year anniversary commemorations of the 2010 flooding.