Perilous Times and Climate Change
UN says 2.2 million hectares of crops lost in Pakistan's floods
Wednesday, 20 Oct, 2010 | 12:19 AM PST |
UNITED NATIONS: An area larger than the Netherlands - 50,000 square
kilometers- has been ravaged by the devastating floods in Pakistan,
with over 2.2 million hectares of crops lost, the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Wednesday.
In giving its latest estimates, OCHA said 20.2 million people have been
affected by the floods in Pakistan, with 14 million in need of
immediate humanitarian aid.
Over 1.9 million homes have been destroyed or damaged and at least
seven million people are currently without shelter, it said. Parts of
Sind Province are still under water.
Throughout September and October, food rations have been supplied to an
estimated 8.8 million people, according to OCHA. High-energy biscuits
and Ready to Use Supplementary Food is being provided for around 2
million children.
Also, since the start of the response, essential medication has been
provided to cover the potential health needs of 5.15 million people.
OCHA reports that the emergency shelter needs for an estimated 3.4
million people have been met, while 3.7 million people have access to
clean water on a daily basis.
At the same time, the Office says, the Response Plan for Pakistan is
still only 36% funded.
Meanwhile, UNICEF reported an increase in polio cases in Pakistan.
Seventy-eight polio cases have been reported among children, which is a
26 per cent increase over 2009 figures. UNICEF says its last
immunization campaign in Pakistan reached more than 8.5 million
children.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/business/un-says-2.2-million-hectares-of-crops-lost-in-pakistans-floods-jd-04