July 14, 2007	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Sani 28, 1428

RAWALPINDI, July 13: The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) is supporting the Social Welfare Department of Balochistan to launch a rapid assessment of children’s protection in ten selected districts in the flood-hit province.

The ten districts are: Jhal Magsi, Naseerabad, Jafferabad, Sibi, Bolan, Kharan, Lasbela, Turbat, Qalat and Khuzdar where the assessment will be completed within two weeks. UNICEF has also released funds to the Commission of Child Welfare and Development of Balochistan to carry out a detailed survey of separated, unaccompanied or orphan children and single women, says the latest Situation Report issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA).

UNICEF is raising the alarm about the toll faced by millions of children across Southern and Eastern Asia after fierce monsoon season has led to a series of deadly floods in Pakistan and other regional countries.

The worst affected is Pakistan, where an estimated 2.15 million people — mainly women and children — have been hit by floods that followed four days of heavy rain in the wake of Cyclone Yemyin late last month. UNICEF has issued an appeal for 5 million dollars to deal with immediate needs.

At least 300,000 children under the age of five are suffering, according to UNICEF, with many areas still cut off by flood waters, and many water distribution systems damaged or destroyed, leading to poor hygiene, unsanitary conditions and outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has also been providing emergency assistance, including 120,000 chlorine tablets; over one million purification tablets; 1,000 latrines; 151 ‘school-in-a-box’ kits — each containing such items as flipchart pads, markers, pens, crayons, erasers, exercise books, rulers, pencils, chalk and chalkboards; and almost 75 megatons of food. At least 14,000 combined tent and shelter kits have also been distributed to aid the Government’s response efforts.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority has demanded that it needs 50,000 tents alone in Balochistan. Disaster mitigation organizations involved in the operation have suggested the use of ‘emergency and transitional shelter kits instead of the normal tents which provides short-term sheltering solution because they provide little protection from sun or rain.

The “emergency and transitional shelter kits” which comprise materials that can be re-used for roof construction or more permanent dwellings were now being sought. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has offered 7,100 tents from its stock in Islamabad, according to the Situation Report.