Pakistan still not prepared for floods, say OXFAM

More than 1,750 people are thought to have been killed and 20 million people affected by last years floods. An Oxfam report expresses concern about the pace of reconstruction.It says more than 8,000 families are still without permanent shelter as another monsoon season approaches.The aid agency also says many people who missed the chance to plant or harvest crops are struggling to sustain themselves, with little work available and rising food prices.Today, the crisis is far from over, notably in the south of the country. Many areas - notably homesteads and agricultural land - remain under water or cut off, Oxfam says.Its report says there is a widespread lack of adequate shelter, malnutrition rates are high and many who are still displaced do not have the means to return home, or anywhere to return to.Oxfam acknowledges that the floods would have challenged any government and that as a result of the aid operations thousands of lives were saved.But there are still huge humanitarian needs on the ground and serious lessons to be learnt from how the response has been delivered so far.With much of the country still not covered by early warning systems and many flood defences that were destroyed in last years disaster not yet properly repaired, Pakistan is not sufficiently prepared to cope as it now faces another monsoon season, the aid agency says.Rather than lurch from one disaster to the next, now is the time to rebuild Pakistan in a strategic way that tackles long term problems not only on paper, but in practice, the report says.