UK announces additional £1.2m flood aid for Sindh

Celina Ali

Islamabad: The United Kingdom this week announced an additional £1.2 million in anticipatory flood response for Sindh.

This brings the UK’s total humanitarian assistance to £2.53 million (Rs 95.8 crore), giving over 400,000 people across Pakistan life-saving support, said a British High Commission statement.

With floods predicted to hit Sindh imminently, the UK is acting swiftly, in support of the Pakistan Government co-ordinated response, to help communities prepare before disaster strikes. The new £1.2 million (45.4 crore PKR) funding is being deployed to NGOs in Sindh to enable early warning systems and community evacuations, identification of vulnerable households needing urgent support, pre-positioning of essential supplies and livestock protection and preparation of evacuation centres. “These measures are lifesaving, through seeking to protect communities before disaster hits,” the statement said.

British High Commissioner, Jane Marriott said: “Sindh is in a critical window to prepare and reduce the impact of the upcoming floods. For every dollar spent on prevention, up to seven dollars are saved in response. More importantly, lives are saved, and destruction is avoided.”

This funding complements £1.33 million (Rs 50.36 crore) announced on 22 August, which supports early response and relief efforts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan. Support includes the provision of dry food rations, search and rescue operations, mobile medical camps, rehabilitation of drinking water systems, restoration of irrigation channels, and support for livelihoods and agriculture.

The UK has also contributed to the Start Ready Disaster Risk Financing system in Pakistan. £500,000 (Rs 18.9 crore) has been released, reaching 20,000 people across Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhaw to anticipate and mitigate humanitarian impacts from future flooding.