ISLAMABAD, Aug 11: The United Nations on Saturday again appealed to the world community to provide it $38 million to help Pakistan government rehabilitate the people of Balochistan and Sindh badly hit by recent heavy rains and floods.

The appeal was launched last month to complement emergency activities of the government, and the world agency had received only $7.7 million from donors.

UN Resident Coordinator Jan Vandemoortele sent out letters to donors, stressing the gap in the assistance received and the requested amount.

About 324 people were killed and 224 people went missing in the heavy rains and floods triggered by a cyclone. The calamity marooned 2.5 million people, affecting more than 6,500 villages and destroying 80,000 houses. Lack of information from the worst-hit areas and problems of access for the international staff may have contributed to donors’ reluctance to fund the Flash Appeal.

The flood situation has received little attention in the media, giving an impression that the situation was not critical, humanitarian workers say.

“Paucity of funds is gravely hampering UN body’s efforts to assist the 2.5 million people,” a senior UN official said.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Balochistan and Sindh still live in scattered roadside camps and over 700,000 people are without potable water, as fears of water-borne diseases loom large and many of the UN agencies have run out of funds to continue working in affected areas.

“More than one million children are at risk of contracting infectious diseases. Women and children are particularly vulnerable, as emergency assistance is not reaching some of the flood-stricken communities, leaving them without access to food, safe water, medicine and shelter,” Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) warned.

According to UN, the situation in certain union councils within the districts was critical and affected communities may face malaria and dengue fever epidemics where there were large areas of stagnant water.

The appeal also sought immediate funds for the agriculture sector.