Asian Development Bank earmarks Rs261 million for the flood victims of Pakistan

Asian Development Bank earmarks Rs261 million for the flood victims of Pakistan

The Asian Development Bank on Thursday announced a grant of Rs261 million to support those people who were affected by monsoon rains and floods in southern Pakistan, a statement said on Thursday.

Asian Development Bank’s country director for Pakistan Dr Werner Liepach, signed an agreement with the Secretary of Economic Affairs Division, Abdul Wajid Rana on Thursday. While talking to the media reporters after signing the agreement, Liepach said that
the ADB stands by the people of Pakistan in these difficult times and hoped the grant would help NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) in accelerating flood relief activities.

“The ADB stands by the people of Pakistan in these difficult times,” said ADB’s country director for Pakistan, Liepach. “We hope that the grant will increase the NDMA’s ability to reach out to poor and the most vulnerable groups, particularly women and children,
facing a desperate situation.”

Liepach further added that most of the families in the flood-stricken districts have lost their entire belongings and source of livelihood and are in urgent need of food and shelter . He said that ADB emergency assistance from its Asia-Pacific Disaster Response
Fund will help the NDMA ensure supply of food, drinking water, medicines and tents for the affected families.

According to a United Nations survey, around 5.4 million people have been affected by this year’s monsoon rains and floods and 1.8 million have been displaced by the catastrophe and are living in extremely difficult conditions.

According to NDMA’s initial estimates, the number of houses destroyed by the recent flooding in Sindh and Balochistan province is 645,000 while 580,000 have been partially damaged.

 “The ADB and the World Bank are jointly assessing the extent of damage,” Dr Liepach said. “The assessment is expected to help the government and other partners in charting out an action plan to restore basic services and rebuild irrigation and flood protection
structures so that affected families could resume their lives with peace of mind,” he added further.

The Asian Development Bank had sanctioned a $650 million loan for Pakistan earlier this year for reconstruction of vital infrastructure damaged by devastating floods in 2010.

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Posted by Asma Rafique on Oct 28 2011. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry