PESHAWAR, March 21: The World Food Programme (WFP) has donated 520 tons of flour and 65 tons of edible oil to the people affected by rain and snowfall in the NWFP, an official said here on Monday.

The foodstuff would be distributed in different parts of Swat, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Batgram, Shangla, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad and Chitral districts where widespread rains and snowfall had caused large-scale damage last month.

The WFP has donated a total of 1,158 tons of wheat flour and 145 tons of edible oil to the people of Balochistan, Northern Areas, NWFP, and Azad Kashmir hit by harsh weather and flash floods.

The official said the food items would be handed over to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) for distribution among the affected people. Flour and edible oil would be dispatched to nine districts of the NWFP from the WFP warehouse in Peshawar on Tuesday and would be handed over to the IRC staff.

It may be recalled that a UN assessment team recently visited nine districts of the NWFP to evaluate damages caused by widespread rains and heavy snowfall followed by avalanches and massive landsliding.

The team reported that rains and snowfall killed 362 people and rendered 1,785,634 people homeless. In the wake of its report, the WFP prepared a one-month food relief package for the affected families in nine districts of the province.

The WFP official said after the distribution of first consignment, the UN agency was preparing a three-month food assistance programme for the affected people.

The WFP will distribute food items in Hizer, Astore, Bagh and Muzaffarabad in Northern Areas and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.