Flood victims in Pakistan in dire need of aid

Bernhard Schell in InDepth News: As the Gregorian calendar's New Year ushered in, millions of people in Pakistan -- mostly poor -- continued to be in need of assistance. However, only 51 percent of the $2 billion U.S. dollar appeal to aid flood victims had been funded. This was the largest-ever aid appeal launched by the UN and its partners for a natural disaster. The good news is that the inundated people are beginning to recover from the floods that swamped huge parts of the country during what is considered as one of the most challenging years for the South Asian country.

"With an estimated 20 million people affected by devastating floods, the country faced its biggest ever humanitarian crisis," Rauf-Engin Soysal, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Assistance to Pakistan, and UN Resident Coordinator Timo Pakkala said in a joint message on December 31.

They added: "Millions of Pakistanis still require relief assistance and full recovery of livelihoods and infrastructure will take years," they added. "Through resilience and determination and with the support of national partners and the international community, the country will overcome this challenging period."

Also Valerie Amos, UN's chief for humanitarian affairs, called upon the international community to provide the resources needed to help those in dire need of vital aid. "There is a continuing need for a strong financial response and I want to see attention focused on this immense human tragedy," she told reporters following her second visit to the country since the disaster. "This is an emergency which will continue for months to come, and considerable relief efforts will continue to be necessary alongside recovery activities and development work," she said returning from her second visit to Pakistan early December….

Satellite image of flooding on the Kabul and Indus Rivers in August 2010