Sindh Province – The International Organization for Migration-led Natural Disaster Consortium (NDC) has this week initiated emergency response in the flood-affected districts of Pakistan’s Sindh Province by providing aid to 1,540 people in Hyderabad.  

The current monsoon spell that started in the second week of August has caused widespread flooding and has led to extensive human and infrastructure damage across many parts of Pakistan. The provinces of Sindh and Balochistan—and the District Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—have been most adversely affected by the heavy rainfall.  

The NDC is providing emergency aid to flood-affected families in the most affected areas of Sanghar, Umerkot, Badin, Hyderabad and Mirpur Khas in Sindh under the Multi Year Humanitarian Programme (MYHP) funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).  

To respond to the immediate needs of affected families, two NDC partners—Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS) and the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED)--have identified extremely vulnerable households for assistance and transported those emergency stocks available to the affected areas.  

“As part of the ongoing emergency response in the affected districts of Sindh, NDC partners have also conducted rapid need assessments (RNAs) in the affected areas in Sindh and Balochistan. Results of these assessments will inform a more comprehensive plan of intervention that NDC will develop in the coming weeks, mobilizing additional resources for the response activities addressing the needs identified on the ground,” said Mio Sato, IOM Chief of Mission in Pakistan.   

The emergency stock from Karachi and Kashomre was transported to four flood-affected districts of Sanghar, Mirpur Khas, Badin and Umerkot. As part of this immediate response, the NDC has so far assisted 1,096 households in Sindh.  

HANDS distributed 220 hygiene kits among affected people in Hyderabad from 29 August through 1 September. This was much-needed assistance, especially for women in the communities struggling with the immediate aftermath of heavy rains and floods.   

One woman, Halima, from the Muhalla Liaquat Ashraf Colony in Hyderabad district, described the situation in her village: “Our lives have turned upside down due to these heavy rains, but the support from the UK through NDC and HANDS has been a beacon of hope.” 

ACTED distributed 898 hygiene kits, 450 tarpaulin sheets and 37 tarpaulin rolls in Umerkot, Mirpur Khas and Badin among affected people this week (01-02/09). UNICEF, another NDC partner, has also committed to contribute additional stock as the response proceeds. 

The NDC, which is comprised of IOM, FAO, UNICEF, HANDS, WHO and ACTED was established in 2015 with the goal of assisting at-risk and affected communities to prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters in Pakistan.  

For more information, please contact Suzana Paklar, IOM Pakistan at Tel: +92 (0) 300 5005862, Email: spaklar@iom.int