ISLAMABAD, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Millions of people, hit by the worst floods in Pakistan's history of six decades, need huge humanitarian aid in terms of food and non-food items, Pakistani analysts have said.
The country also needs trained humanitarian workers with global experience and expertise to bring people out of trauma and flood waters, and help them rebuild and rehabilitate, the analysts said in a dialogue organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, an Islamabad-based think-tank.
Speaking on the occasion, Syed Waqar Sherazi, disaster management expert and director of Aid for Refugees and Orphans, gave a situation overview on the impacts of floods, calling for a real-time assessment of the losses and damages, as well as impacts on the people and infrastructure.
He said that power and telephone signals were cut in the flood-hit areas, which hampered the rescue work.
Sherazi said the floods damaged the standing crops such as rice, sugarcane and cotton, adding that the seeds for future crops were also washed away.
Country Coordinator of Pakistan Humanitarian Forum Syed Shahid Kazmi said that relief workers need to prioritize providing cooked food, nutritious dry food items, drinking water, medical camps, fodder and other veterinary services for livestock, de-watering, mosquito nets and shelters with temporary toilets.
Kazmi expressed the hope that once the United Nations' flash appeal was launched, much of the humanitarian funding would come to Pakistan, which may be helpful in protecting people from hunger and diseases. ■
