Riyadh-based Majlis-e-Pakistan (MEP) called on Pakistani expatriates in the Kingdom to help alleviate the suffering of an estimated 14 million people back home.

Addressing a press conference in Riyadh on Wednesday, MEP President Rana Abdur Rauf urged the 1.3 million Pakistanis living in the Kingdom as well as Saudi philanthropists and nongovernmental organizations to help provide relief to people affected by the floods.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) based at the prime minister’s secretariat in Islamabad, the floods are the worst in nearly a century. More than 1,500 people have died so far in the disaster. Over 722,000 houses have been damaged and almost two million people have been left without shelter, said NDMA in a report.

Floodwater, a lack of drinking water and bad sanitation have contributed to survivors developing stomach problems, chest infections and skin diseases, which could be fatal if left untreated.

The report has also warned about an eventual outbreak of various epidemics.

Rauf said a number of charity organizations have been engaged in relief efforts. He added that MEP would try to promote the Al-Khidmat Foundation, which he claimed was the most active charity engaged in rescue and relief efforts at the moment in Pakistan.

He said the foundation has deployed 15,000 volunteers, saying the magnitude of the calamity was so huge that it had to increase the number of medical camps from 19 to 75. People can donate to Al-Khidmat Foundation through Soneri Bank Ltd. The account number is 0201-1231535 (rupees) or 0218-0022129 (US dollars).

MEP’s patron Asif Qureshi said a number of Pakistanis have donated a month’s salary for the flood victims.