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UNHCR urgently seeks $65.8 million for communities devastated by Pakistan floods

Environmental sustainability will remain central to the response, as the country is on the frontlines of a climate emergency

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is urgently seeking US$65.8 million to help more than 650,000 refugees and members of their host communities affected by the recent devastating floods in Pakistan.

As Pakistan faces a colossal challenge to respond to this climate disaster, UNHCR reiterates its call for more support for the country and its people, who have generously hosted Afghan refugees for over four decades. The scale of devastation from the monsoon on people and infrastructure is hard to comprehend, said a press release.

According to the latest estimates, unprecedented rainfall and flooding in late August resulted in at least 1,700 deaths, with 12,800 injured — including at least 4,000 children. About 7.9 million people have been displaced by the floods, according to the latest estimates, with nearly 600,000 living in relief sites.

Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) were the most affected provinces, with 80 districts declared "calamity hit". Of these, 41 host an estimated 800,000 Afghan refugees. Most are in just four districts: Peshawar (210,000), Quetta (170,000), Nowshera (77,700) and Karachi (71,500).

Some of those affected spoke to the UNHCR about their traumatic experiences, as rain and floodwaters swept away their lives in minutes. Families rushed to higher ground for safety, as dams failed and rivers burst their banks. They were forced to abandon a lifetime of belongings and sleep under open skies.

The UNHCR's Supplementary Appeal seeks additional funds to address immediate needs including protection, shelter, health, water and sanitation, and education for affected refugees and host communities. It will also assist in the early recovery process, including building up the resilience of refugees and their host communities and rehabilitating damaged public services — schools, health, and water supplies.

The overall UN inter-agency Floods Response Plan, first issued in early September 2022, was revised and launched on 4 October to support the Government of Pakistan with relief and early recovery activities until May 2023. UNHCR's Supplementary Appeal will run until December 2023.

It remains alarmed about conditions on the ground. It could take months for floodwaters to recede in the hardest-hit areas, as fears rise over threats of waterborne diseases and the safety of millions of affected people: 70 per cent of whom are women and children.

Pre-existing inequalities have been exacerbated by the flooding, and protection risks have increased. UNHCR, is leading protection activities and working to ensure that critical needs are identified and addressed through prevention, risk mitigation and other services by specialised actors. These include, in particular, measures to address gender-based violence and child protection risks.

A priority remains timely aid for the most vulnerable, and ensuring that it is delivered in a safe and dignified manner including by building partner capacity and strengthening accountability to affected communities, with outreach on sexual exploitation and complaints mechanisms.

From the outset, the UN body has been supporting the response managed by the Government in affected areas with high concentrations of refugees. In September 2022, it delivered over 10,000 metric tons of goods in less than four weeks from Pakistan's warehouses and suppliers, as well as its regional and global contingency stocks in Termez and Dubai, dispatching some 300 trucks and 23 airlifts.

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Working with Pakistan's disaster management authorities, the UN body completed the first phase of its response, including assisting flood-affected families in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh provinces with tents, solar lanterns, plastic sheeting, hygiene kits and other life-saving items.

Pakistan is on the front-lines of the climate emergency. It is essential that the response incorporates prevention and preparedness measures to avert and minimise the effects of extreme weather events in the future and helps build resilience, particularly among the most vulnerable communities.

Environmental sustainability will remain central to the response including connecting schools, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and health centres to renewable energy sources.