ADB provides Rs 260m flood aid

The emergency assistance from Asian Development Bank’s (ADB)’s Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund will help the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to ensure provision of food, drinking water, medicines and tents for desperate victims, many already affected by last year’s flood, at the onset of the winter.ADB stands by the people of Pakistan in these difficult times. We hope that the grant will increase NDMA’s ability to reach out to poor and the most vulnerable groups particularly women and children facing a desperate situation. Many families have lost their entire belongings and source of livelihood and are in urgent need of food and shelter’ said Dr. Werner Liepach, ADB’s Country Director for Pakistan after signing the agreement with Abdul Wajid Rana, Secretary, Economic Affairs Division on Thursday.According to the United Nations, 5.4 million people have been affected by this year’s floods displacing 1.8 million people. NDMA’s initial estimates put the number of houses destroyed and partially damaged at 645,000 and 580,000 respectively. 413 people have died and more than 700 have suffered injuries during the disaster.