July 12, 2007	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 26, 1428

RAWALPINDI, July 11: About 1.5 million children have been affected by floods and heavy rains in Sindh and Balochistan, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).

The Unicef also announced that it needed $5 million immediately for its four-month action plan to be executed between July and October. The UN agency is also participating in the consolidated appeal” being prepared by the UN system.

According to Unicef, three out of every four people affected by floods are children and women and at least 300,000 of the affected children are under five and vulnerable to infectious diseases, epidemics and poor nutrition.

Some of these homeless children have limited access to clean water and are exposed to extreme heat, says a Unicef report released on Tuesday.

Areas worst-hit in Balochistan and Sindh are also among Pakistan’s most disadvantaged, and one out of every 10 infants dies in Balochistan before completing his or her first year of age, Unicef says.

Forty per cent of under five children are underweight, it says. Maternal mortality is twice the country's average at 600 deaths of women per 100,000 live births. Indicators for children in northern Sindh, in the districts worst affected by the floods, are similar, according to Unicef.

Unicef is coordinating with provincial and federal authorities, other UN agencies and partners to ensure that the particular needs of children in this emergency are addressed appropriately.

Unicef fears that separated or unaccompanied children, including orphans, are at increased risk of trafficking, exploitation and abuse.