ISLAMABAD, Aug 1 The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Sunday it had started distributing food on emergency basis to 35,000 families hit by catastrophic flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

WFP spokesman Amjad Jamal told Dawn that distribution of food supplies began on Sunday in three badly hit districts of the province --- Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda — with the assistance of WFP's network of NGO partners in the region.

He said the items distributed included high-energy biscuits and ready-to-use food (RUF), meant especially for children and women.

The WFP would continue to supply these items until the displaced people were resettled, he said. After their resettlement they would be provided food bags containing essential cooking commodities like wheat flour, cooking oil, pulses, rice and tea.

The spokesman said that WFP executive director Josette Sheeran from the organisation's headquarters in Rome had directed the country office to mobilise all resources to make sure the needs of the affected people were met as quickly as possible.

“We are deeply saddened to hear that so many people who have already suffered terribly in recent years are now seeing their lives washed away,” said the WFP chief in a statement.

In support of national efforts, the WFP-Pakistan planned to assist up to 150,000 families over the next two to three months after access to the affected areas improved, the spokesman said.

With water levels still high and many key bridges destroyed, access remains limited.

The WFP is assisting the government's disaster management authorities with assessments in three of the worst-affected districts and a joint aerial assessment of the Peshawar region.

Mr Amjad said floodwaters had also caused significant damage to WFP warehouses in north-western Pakistan.

Although it was too early to know its full extent, the WFP was extremely concerned over possible losses because warehouses in the affected areas contained significant food stocks for WFP operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan, he said.

The present foodstuff would be moved from the WFP store in Nasirbagh, Peshawar. The warehouse in Azakhel was badly damaged and was still inaccessible whereas the one in Pirpai was partly damaged, the spokesman said.