ISLAMABAD: The European Union has announced it is allocating Rs51.4 million to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to families affected by the earthquake that struck the eastern region, mainly Mirpur, late last month.

The funding will address the most pressing needs of around 3,000 vulnerable people in some of the hardest-hit areas, the European Union’s Office in Islamabad announced on Friday.

Mirpur, the largest city in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, is the most affected area with the epicentre located only one kilometre from the city. An estimated 100,000 people have been severely affected by the disaster.

Nearly 40 people were killed and more than 700 others injured when a strong, 5.3-magnitude, earthquake struck eastern parts of the country on Sept 24. The earthquake, followed by a number of aftershocks, caused extensive damage to houses and infrastructure. According to government data, more than 8,600 houses and a number of roads and bridges suffered severe structural damage.

“We are acting fast to channel emergency aid to those most affected in Pakistan,” said the Head of the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Opera­tions Office in Islamabad, Bernard Jaspers-Faijer.

“Our funding will assist the most vulnerable and help provide shelter to those who have lost their homes and belongings in the aftermath of the strong tremor. Our thoughts are with all the victims and first responders working around the clock to save lives,” he said.

The assistance will also ensure access to clean water for the communities in the affected areas. Special attention will be paid to those most in need, including people with limited sources of income.

The EU funding is made available via the European Civil Protection and Hum­an­i­tarian Aid Operations (ECHO) through its Small Scale Response mechanism.

The European Union and its Member States are the largest donors of humanitarian aid in the world. The assistance is an expression of European solidarity towards people in need.

The goal of the assistance is to save lives, alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by disasters caused by natural phenomena and man-made crises.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2019