ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) as well as the provincial provincial disaster management authorities (PDMAs) have extended support to international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) to carry out relief and rescue services in different flood-hit areas of the country.

In a meeting on Wednesday, relevant authorities lauded the efforts of Pakistan Humanitarian Forum (PHF), the coordination forum of 38 INGOs operating in the country for immediately starting response activities.

The PHF has urged all government institutions to provide full support to humanitarian agencies so that they play a very strong role in this time of need.

In a statement, PHF Country Coordinator Syed Shahid Kazmi said it was time to focus more on collective actions and effective coordination at all levels for intensive humanitarian response.

He said in these critical times, the PHF members were receiving support from PDMAs and NDMA to carry out relief and rescue services in different parts of the country, adding that the spokesperson of the Balochistan government also assured full support to the PHF members.

The forum said the current largescale humanitarian crisis required combined efforts and capacity from all stakeholders working in Pakistan, both national and international.

“While the scale of the emergency demands a higher level of international solidarity to respond to the damages of flood-affected persons in Pakistan, the INGOs were able to mobilise a sizeable amount of funds rapidly to reach out to more than half a million people in Pakistan,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement WaterAid, a UK-based INGO operating in Pakistan, pointed out that thousands of flood-hit families had been provided hygiene kits with soap, towels and jerrycans, disinfection of water resources and safely managed toilets.

WaterAid has initially allocated Rs30 million as emergency relief to over 40,000 people affected by the floods with the help of its local partners in Badin, Rajanpur and Swat districts, focused on disinfection of drinking water sources, provision of hygiene kits and construction of temporary toilets in schools and camps.

WaterAid Pakistan Country Director Arif Jabbar Khan said people affected by a natural disaster are forced to drink contaminated water, which leads to outbreak of diseases.

“Our initial response is for two months but we will continue to expand our response as we raise more funds,” he added.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2022