Aghosh UK releases Pakistan flood response report, calls for more support

BIRMINGHAM – Around 73000 women affected by recent floods in Pakistan are expected to deliver babies in October. Around 650,000 expecting mothers face “high risk” to their health because of the ongoing post-floods situation, a joint report released by Aghosh UK and Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan has noted.

The report was released during a news conference in Birmingham by Aghosh UK Leadership, including Dr Adeel Riaz, Fahim Kayani and Muhammad Luqman.

Dr Adeel Riaz, chairman of Aghosh UK, said, “To meet the needs of these mothers, the two organizations have launched the Safe Mother-Safe Family project to ensure good health of mothers and their babies,”

Detailing the joint flood response launched by Aghosh UK and Alkhidmat Foundation in Pakistan, Riaz said 1,693 people died during the deluge while 12,865 others were injured.

The report noted the loss of 1,160,078 livestock while the heavy floods damaged 2,045,349 houses, of which 767,488 homes were completely destroyed.

“62000 volunteers of Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan rescued 56220 people amid raging flood waters, put in service 43 rescue boats and vehicles besides sent out relief using 795 trucks,” Riaz told the news conference, urging support both in kind and cash to reach out to the maximum flood affected people.

He said clean water projects, including water filtration plants, water bottles, and water tanks, were distributed in the provinces of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and the Southern part of Punjab.

“69 tent villages were set up in Sindh, South Punjab, Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where 57000 tents and Tarpaulins were used,” Luqman said

Riaz, the Aghosh UK chairman, said 884 medical camps were set up across the flood-affected areas where 339,521 patients were treated.

“To ensure children do not miss on education, we set up 17 temporary early education centers besides 41 kitchens are running to provide basic food to the flood affected people,” he added.

Fahim Kayani, Co-Founder and President of Aghosh UK, said the people of Pakistan are brave and will withstand the devastation caused by the floods.

“The outpour of support from across the world has shown there is ray of hope and humanity still exists,” Kayani said.

The Pakistan government has estimated damages worth $328 caused by the floods.

The Aghosh UK chairman Dr Adeel Riaz called on the Pakistani and Kashmiri diaspora to mobilize and come to aid of flood-affected familiar people of Pakistan.

“Our brothers and sisters in Pakistan are paying cost for doing no damage to the environment as this flood is mostly due to climate change and thus we should come together and inform different sections of society and government in the UK and Europe to come forward and help Pakistan,” he said.

Climate change is a reality and is mainly caused by highly-industrialized nations.

“Pakistan’s contributions to release of carbon dioxide in environment is next to nil thus it is injustice to 220 million people of Pakistan if developed nations do not contribute to help rebuild flood-affected parts of the South Asian nation,” he said.

Pointing to different surveys regarding flood response projects executed by Alkhidmat Foundation in Pakistan, Muhammad Luqman, Secretary General Aghosh UK, said: “This credibility of Alkhidmat Foundation and Aghosh UK Pakistan is possible only because of honesty, transparency, dedication and commitment of people.”

“We invite people from all sections of society across the world to come forward, and work with us to help flood-hit people of Pakistanis to rebuild their lives with dignity and honor,” said Luqman.