MITHI, Oct 16: Taking cognizance of the fact that some parts of Sindh and Balochistan were in the grip of a severe drought, the United Nations has sanctioned a relief project of $7 million under the World Food Programme for 340,000 drought-affected people of these two provinces.

David Fletcher, a representative of the UN, said this while speaking at a meeting held with the Nazim, the district coordination officer, representatives of NGOs, and the officers of Mirpurkhas and Tharparkar districts here the other day.

Mr David said that this year Thar had been hit hard by the drought in addition to previous droughts which had created an acute shortage of water and food.

He said that the UN World Food Programme was considering to provide free wheat, vegetable oil, and other edibles for six months to the Tharis as well as other drought-hit inhabitants of Sindh and Balochistan.

He urged the local administration, NGOs, and influential people to chalk out a comprehensive programme to ensure the transparent distribution of relief items among the needy people.

The district Nazim, Arbab Attaullah, apprised the representatives of the UN that life in Thar was entirely dependent upon rain, and as a result of the drought about 50 per cent impoverished Tharis had already migrated to the canal areas with their cattle for survival, whereas those who were still living in their villages were facing miserable conditions.

He said that the district government had already urged the government to launch a massive relief operation in the sandy belt as soon as possible.

The additional relief commissioner (Sindh), Mir Ali Nawaz Mallah, the coordinator (Sindh), World Food Programme, Aslam Khan, the DCO, Tharparkar, Mohammad Juman Jamro, the executive director, Tharparkar Rural Development Programme, and Dr Sono Khangharani were also present on the occasion.