Pakistan is experiencing its worst flooding in over a decade. With more than 6.4 million people in need of humanitarian aid, Humanity & Inclusion prepares emergency kits to support families in need.
Since mid-June unprecedented rainfall has led to the deadliest flooding Pakistan has seen in over a decade. More than 1,290 lives have been lost, and 12,500 people are injured.
Though the rains have finally stopped, the situation remains alarming. Over 630,000 people have been displaced and are living in camps—80% of those are from the Sindh region alone. Across 80 districts, 33 million people have been affected by the historic flooding, and 6.4 million remain in need of humanitarian aid.
“It's a bit apocalyptic,” says Caroline Duconseille, Humanity & Inclusion’s country manager for Pakistan. “You see houses that have completely collapsed from the passage of water. Bridges are destroyed. There are lines of people on the side of the road who have built temporary shelters and are sleeping in tents— with nothing left but the clothes on their backs. Not to mention the trauma that this represents for these people.”
More than 1 million homes, 17,000 schools and 1,400 health facilities are damaged or destroyed.
Emergency response underway
Humanity & Inclusion’s teams are present in Pakistan and preparing interventions in the affected regions of Nowshera and Charsadda. Distributions of food and basic household goods such as hygiene supplies, blankets and kitchen items will benefit 600 families displaced by the flooding.
The flooding comes at a time where much of the country’s population has already been facing increasing food insecurity. According to the UN, around 73% of affected households currently have insufficient access to food, and over 2 million acres of agricultural land have been damaged. More than 733,000 livestock have been lost in this climate disaster.
“Flooding of this scale is unprecedented in Pakistan and requires an immediate emergency response,” Duconseille explains. “Our initial focus is meeting the most urgent needs of impacted communities, including access to food and daily essentials such as soap, cooking supplies and warm blankets.”
Humanity & Inclusion will also deploy psychological first aid teams to assess the needs of displaced populations and provide assistance (directly or through referral) in coordination with national authorities. The organization is also exploring possibilities to expand its response to include further districts and services.
HI in Pakistan
Humanity & Inclusion has been working in Pakistan since the early 1980s and implemented humanitarian projects across multiple districts, including an emergency response to flooding in 2010. Today, Humanity & Inclusion has a team of 31 staff members in Pakistan.