Disaster moves downstream as water levels surge in Pakistan

3 August 2010: Thousands of families are fleeing their homes as water levels continue to rise in flood-hit Pakistan.

Heavy rain is continuing to fall along the River Indus, with South Punjab and Sindh provinces next in line as the disaster moves downstream.

Leading children’s charity Plan International has pledged US$200,000 (£130,000) for food, water and health and hygiene kits.

“Resources among the rescue services are limited in South Punjab – there’s even a shortage of fuel for boats,” says Plan’s Rashid Javed.

400,000 people on the move

In the district of Layyah alone, 400,000 people are on the move with more rain expected over the next 3 to 4 days.

Unconfirmed reports have put the death toll as high as 1,800, while as many as 2,500,000 are caught up in the crisis.

“The evacuation is particularly traumatic for children,” says Mr Javed. “Water is waist deep at least and it’s still raining heavily.

“The valley is acting like a huge funnel with water spilling out from the River Indus and its tributaries into the towns and villages.

“The pressure of the water and the damage it can do is unimaginable. One person I was talking to compared it to standing in front of an aeroplane’s propeller.”

Plan action

Plan is providing bottled water and cooked meals to 3,000 families and preparing to distribute health and hygiene kits for over 9,000 families.

The charity is also helping with the evacuation in Layyah through a local partner.

An outbreak of diarrhoea and cholera is now a real fear and Plan is in talks to set up mobile health clinics.

The charity is also looking to warehouse relief supplies in Sindh province to protect them from incoming floodwaters.

Plan field teams and local partners will also assess child protection and psychosocial trauma of the flooding.

“The initial needs are being identified as shelter, health and food packages for children and their families,” says Plan’s Rashid Javed.

Notes to editors
1) Plan was founded by British journalist John Langdon-Davies in 1937 to rescue orphans and other vulnerable children from the Spanish Civil War.

2) Today we work in 48 of the poorest countries on the planet across Africa, Asia and South America.

3) For more information please contact Stuart Coles on 01483 733 211/ +447500 066 891 or stuart.coles@international.org. Additionally, you can try Gouri Sharma or gouri.sharma@planinternational.org or +447984 492 515