United Nations Radio

victim of the floods in Pakistan

The United Nations continued its relief operations in Pakistan, with a number of organizations reporting their updated activities on Friday in Geneva. Gerry Adams reports.

Duration: 3'34"

The World Food Programme says that despite residual floodwaters and infrastructural damage continuing to impede access to all affected areas, the food agency has now provided 24,000 metric tons of life-saving relief food assistanceto two million people. Emilia Casella of WFP:

Casella: The WFP currently has a shortfall of about 90 million dollars on the $150 million appeal. And I'm just pointing that out because as has already been mentioned, the needs are going up, there will be a revision of the emergency response plan and yet of course on the current response plan, we still are short. We're appealing to donors to respond and also to those donors who have made pledges, to actually confirm those pledges because those pledges actually need to be confirmed in order for us to be able to go ahead and acquire the food that's needed to be brought into the country.

Narrator: Ms. Casella says WFP also has special needs food for children:

Casella: We've got special kinds of food such as high energy biscuits and ready-to-use supplementary foods such as foods made with peanut based paste or chick pea based ready to use foods. These are packets that can be opened and fed to especially to young children without the need to cook them without the need to use any water. So they are very, very effective.

Narrator: Fadela Chaib of the World Health Organization says an increase in malaria and other medical problems is expected because of people's increased exposure to water:

Fadela : Medical supplies covering the needs of 2.6 million people have been delivered, including medicines for diarrhoea. WHO can meet the health cluster needs for the next two months, but more funding is needed in order to replenish the medicine stocks.

Narrator: Speaking for UNICEF, the UN Children's fund, Marco Jimenez Rodriguez, says access to safe drinking water has increased as a result of the distribution of water purifying tablets, filters , water bladders and buckets:

Marco: In terms of water, right now we are providing safe drinking water to over two million people. This has been possible through the restoration of nearly five hundred water supply sytems that were restored as access was gained all throughout the floods and through the sending of over 500 tankers daily. SEGUE So far in terms of health, over two million people have received medical services in the past three weeks. And in terms of immunization, over a million vaccinations have been applied to women and mostly children.

Narrator: Mr. Rodriguez also said a UNICEF telephone service has resulted in the reunification of many children with their families:

Marco: In terms of protection, there are four 24 hour telephone lines at service in four different places in Pakistan to provide counselling and information about referral services for the benefit of children and women, which at this point have resulted in the reunification of 131 children reunified with their families out of the so far registered 156 we had.

Narrator: A number of other organizations, including the International organization for Migration and the Office of the UN High commissioner for Refugees, are also working diligently to address the needs of the 17 million people affected by the floods in Pakistan.