Mehmood-Ul-Hassan Khan
Pakistan is passing through a severe natural catastrophe in shape of super flood which has created doom and gloom in the country. Ongoing saga of floods has already damaged its macro-economy. The Head of delegation of Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation Mr. Muhammad Ali Zainal Al Bastaki distributed five trucks carrying food stuff, tents, mineral water bottles, and dates totaling 80 tones in Nowshera, Charsadda and Swat. It was done with the coordination of Armed Forces of Pakistan under the supervision of UAE Embassy, Islamabad.
He shared that His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of UAE ordered urgent delivery of relief goods to shelter-less the displaced people soon after the news of the worst ever floods in the century that hit all the provinces of Pakistan and destroyed its major socio-economic fabric and the appeal of the Prime Minister of Pakistan Sayed Yousuf Raza Gillani,. In compliance with his directives, the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation started its intensified humanitarian operations in Pakistan. We were among the first foreign aid agency/organization that responded on time for the help of these floods affected people in the country and carried out our humanitarian and relief works in various regions.
Mr. Al Bastaki told that Balochistan was the first place of our relief operation activities. Afterwards we moved to Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We launched our relief operations in the most affected areas of Swat, Peshawar, Nowshera.
The government of the UAE is still rushing urgent assistance and relief aircrafts up to date and pledged to continue sending these assistance in the coming period. We are committed that the relief operations will continue in an attempt to improve the living condition of the flood victims.
Talking about the details of the humanitarian assistance to needy people in these affected areas, he further said that the Foundation and UAE Embassy, Islamabad are doing their levels best to eliminate the human suffering of these struggling people through their relief operations and programs. Keeping in view, the difficulties of the massive displaced population in these areas, we have been assiduously working for the betterment in providing life-saving assistance to them. By taking desperately needed food, water, medicines and sheltering material to the flood victims, the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation’s contribution to the relief efforts is highly significant. More precisely, we are distributing tents, bags of wheat flour, bags of lentil, and the last not the least food packages to the affected people. They have installed water purification plants in Rahim Yar Khan and its surrounding areas.
While physically engaged with ongoing super floods disaster and rigorously interacted with the needy people on the ground, we observed that it has huge socio-economic multiplier effects. Livestock has been flash-out. Agriculture has been ruined and completely destroyed in many parts of the country. Cash crops have been wrecked in floods inflicted regions of the country. Orchards have been badly affected. Cultivation of vegetables has been smashed. Incidents of gastro, epidemic diseases are increasing. Moreover, Infrastructure has been wrecked and destroyed. Millions of people are homeless. But we are committed and working day and night to cope with the precarious situation.
We think that the devastation of the floods ongoing in Pakistan urgently needs boosting international assistance to its recovery and rehabilitation so as to avoid recurrence of the destructive repercussions of this disaster.
We noticed that the most urgent requirement is to provide clean drinking water, food, shelter to the millions that have been left with virtually nothing. Tents, dry fruit, dry milk, beans, cloths, basic medical kits, biscuits, and canned food stuff hygienically are supposed to be better for the affected people.
We have distributed tents, food stuff, , grains, flour bags, clean drinking water and water cooler, water filtration plants, medicines, beans, dates and other related relief goods in the different areas of Punjab, i.e. Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Muzzfargar, and its nearby inflicted areas. So, far we have distributed 100 tones of food stuff, 2000 tents, 20,000 liters of mineral waters in the different parts of the country.
The Foundation Official Mr. Muhammad Ali Zainal Al Bastaki said in its future plans will distribute 20000 food packets, 120,000 liters of mineral water and 1000 tents and more water purification plants along with supplies of medicines. He further said that in order to manage the risks of any epidemic disease in these areas, a complete health care program will be initiated in the near future