Pakistan - IOM’s Pakistan flood response has received a significant boost with the news that over USD 4.2 million has been pledged for use in the worst-affected areas. The UK Department for International Development (DFID) has donated UKL 2 million (USD 3.2 million), while the Japanese government is allocating USD1 million.

The DFID money will be spent on roofing and winterization kits to support 27,000 families displaced by the 2012 floods. The Japanese allocation will help a further 9,500 families in the particularly hard-hit provinces of Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan, including Jacobabad, Kashmore, Shikarpur, Rajanpur, Jaffarabad and Naseerabad districts.

“Winter is on its way and temperatures in some areas can get down to almost freezing at night,” says Enrico Ponziani, Chief of Mission, IOM Pakistan. “We have helped 23,500 of the most severely flood-affected families already and our contingency stocks are exhausted. There are still pressing needs, but this double boost from the UK and Japan comes in the nick of time.”

Roofing kits will include two plastic tarpaulins per household, ten bamboo poles and rope, whilst the winter kits will consist of four blankets or quilts per family, two woollen shawls, two sleeping mats, a solar lamp and a jerry can for water.

In addition to the shelter/non-food support, these funds will ensure the expansion of existing coordination mechanisms to affected areas and enable the roll-out of a mechanism to track displaced people and respond more effectively to their needs.

The money will also be used to enhance communication with disaster-affected communities and programme beneficiaries through a toll-free call centre and dissemination of key messages focusing on the use of relief items and disaster risk reduction techniques.

Project activities will be implemented in close coordination with the inter-agency Shelter Cluster, while focusing in particular on the unique needs of women and children.

For more information please contact  

Pakistan Emergency Stabilization and Support Unit
IOM Islamabad
Email: pessu@iom.int