by Jibran Khan

Water levels are still rising in Pakistan’s rivers and lakes, following devastating floods. International aid is arriving, slowly.

Islamabad (AsiaNews) – The outflow from Manchhar Lake (Sindh) reached 22,000 cusecs (i.e. cubic feet per second, i.e. 28.317 litres per second) following last month’s floods. According to the Irrigation Department, the outflow fell short of expectations owing to inappropriately cut breaches, thus the 215 inundated villages are still under seven to ten feet of water. The breaches in the lake’s protective embankments widened beyond 1.5 kilometres.

In the meantime, Pakistan has started to receive aid money pledged by the international community, a senior official of the Ministry of Economic Affairs Division (EAD) told AsiaNews. “The government has received an aid commitment of US$ 1470.34 million from various countries and donor organizations,” he explained.  They include US$ 413.67 million in grants, US$ 10 million in soft loans, and 709.08 million in kind for the flood victims.

The donors list released by the EAD includes US 5.29 million from Saudi Arabia, US .70 million from the Saudi Fund for Development, US $ 242 million from the Saudi public fund relief, US$ 269.50 million from US/USAID, US$ 115.0 million from UKDFID, US million from Australia, million from Canada, US .0 million from Denmark, US .50 million from the European Union, US$ 32 million from the United Arab Emirates, US million from China, US .25 million from Germany, US .25 million from the Netherlands, US $ 26.0 million from Turkey and US $ 40.0 million from private Turkish funding and US million from Pakistanis themselves.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is also involved in the relief work, providing shelter (tents) to about a million homeless families, working with the Sindh Provincial Disaster Management Authority, which is coordinating the action of some 30 national and international organisations.

An IOM official told AsiaNews that aid would go to the most affected districts, including Khaipur, Kashmore, Ghotki, Jacobabad, Larkana, Shikarpur, Sukkur, Shahdad Kot and Naushahro Feroze.

In addition to tents, flood victims will also get identity cards and more emergency relief.

• pakistan
• sindh
• manchhar
• lake
• rising
• water
• levels
• displaced
• families