ISLAMABAD, Feb 9: The World Food Programme has decided to launch a three-month rapid assessment helicopter mission to evaluate food needs in snow-affected, mountainous and difficult-to-access areas of Afghanistan.

Speaking at a news conference here on Monday, WFP spokesperson Jennifer Abrahamson said six helicopters would be deployed to the areas that are extremely difficult to access by road to enable the programme to mount rapid assessment missions with less staff to more places.

With the aid of helicopters, she said, it would take about three hours to assess the situation at a location.

The spokesperson said teams of experts would fly into rural areas to assess food needs, investigate reports of food shortage and other urgent needs, streamline operations, assess health conditions, investigate non-food emergency needs, monitor food distribution and verify reports by NGOs on earlier dispatches.

The assessment teams will include three WFP staff members, a nutrition expert and a representative from the NGO working in the area.

The spokesperson said the information collected by the assessment teams will allow WFP to adjust food aid allocations, determine the type of food needed, assess the progress made by NGOs and help identify the activities to be supported.

If necessary, on an emergency basis, the helicopters will allow the WFP to airlift aid, she said.

She said the WFP would carry out helicopter missions mostly in isolated areas in Faryab, Sar-i-Pul, Balkh, Ghor, Samangan, Uruzgan, Badakhshan and Baghlan provinces in the north, northeast, west and central highlands.

The WFP has informed the local authorities and commanders about the missions. The general public has also been informed through the local services of the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Voice of America.