“The Kingdom will spare no effort in supporting the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to cope with the damage from flooding,” Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said following the council’s late night meeting Monday, SPA said.
As of Aug. 19 the country had pledged $106 million in aid to Pakistan, making it one of the leading suppliers of relief funds after the floods, which have killed 1,600 people and affected up to 20 million nationwide in the country’s worst-ever natural disaster. On Monday, three large Saudi military transport planes delivered a team of Saudi rescue workers from the national and border guards, and relief equipment that included boats and generators to Karachi to help with rescue operations.
Another team was scheduled to travel Tuesday. Also Monday, a senior US official said countries worldwide have now pledged a total of more than $700 million toward flood relief in Pakistan. Jeddah-based Islamic Development bank (IDB) has also pledged $11 million for relief and rehabilitation of flood-hit Pakistanis.
A technical delegation of the IDB was in Pakistan to contribute to immediate relief efforts. The delegation discussed with top Pakistani officials ways and means for providing assistance to flood- affected people. The IDB group, in association with the Qatari Red Crescent Society, started distributing food and shelter amongst the affected people.
The IDB has already decided on a list of projects to finance in the reconstruction process. Pakistan has moved some helicopters from the fight against the Taleban to rescue and relief operations in flooded regions, possibly weakening the military push against militants and allowing them to regroup. “The first priority of these helicopters is relief work,” a security official.
Recovering from the devastating floods still battering Pakistan will take at least three years, , as the waters swept south after leaving millions homeless and submerging millions of acres of farmland.
Zardari defended the government’s much-criticized response to the unprecedented floods but acknowledged recovery would take a very long time. “Three years is a minimum,” Zardari said in an interview on Monday. Local charities, the Pakistani Army and international agencies are providing food, water, medicine and shelter to the displaced, but millions have received little or no help. Aid officials warn that widespread outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera now pose a threat.
Dr. Jahanzeb Orakzai, Pakistan’s national health coordinator, said a team was formed Tuesday to oversee the response to any health emergencies arising from the floods.
International medical organizations, including the World Health Organization and UNICEF, will be included in the team, he said.
The medical situation is under control in the flood zone, he said, despite some disease outbreaks, but the situation was still tenuous. “Health problems usually arise in flood-affected areas after four to six weeks, and we need to be alert and prepared to tackle the situation,” he said.
On Tuesday, officials announced that the government would give 20,000 rupees ($230) to every family affected by the floods, with a statement from Zardari’s spokesman calling the payment “initial assistance.”
