ISLAMABAD: A ship laden with emergency aid provided by the UK Government has arrived in Karachi docks, to help thousands of children, women, and men who have lost their homes in southern Pakistan in this year's monsoon floods.
The new aid includes emergency shelter for 105,000 people, 24,000 buckets, and 57,000 blankets. The items are being loaded on to trucks today and will be transported immediately to flood- affected districts in Sindh.
George Turkington, Head of the UK's Department for International Development in Pakistan, said "UK support for people affected by the floods here in Pakistan will continue over the coming weeks, months, and into 2012."
The UK is providing emergency shelter to more than half-a- million children, women, and men who have lost their homes in this year's devastating floods, as well as providing blankets, stoves, and tens of thousands of other essential items to help people as the colder nights approach."
Francis Campbell, the British Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi, said the suffering caused by the flooding in Sindh, was of deep concern to many British people.
"We provided a huge amount of help to people affected by last year's devastating flood, and the UK's continuing support this year reflects the deep friendship and longstanding bond between the UK and Pakistan."
"Our countries are closely tied through family, business, history and culture, and we will always stand by and support each other," he said.
The relief goods have been shipped directly from the UK Department for International Development's warehouse in UAE and is part of a package of new support announced by the UK International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell on October 6.
The British embassy statement said the UK anticipated further flooding in Pakistan this year and pre-positioned emergency shelter, blankets, and other essential items for hundreds of thousands of people across Sindh, which have now been distributed to people who urgently need them.
The total UK government response to the floods now includes emergency shelter, pegs or poles for more than half-a-million women, children and men, permanent flood resistant one room shelters for 52,500 people, 10,000 tarpaulin sheets, 164,000 blankets, 20,000 solar lamps, 2,000 sleeping mats, 5,000 hygiene kits, 10,000 jerry cans, 5,000 kerosene stoves, 5,000 hurricane lamps, 24,000 buckets, 5,000 kitchen sets, 10,000 corrugated iron sheets for roofs.
The US would also support the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Disease Early Warning System in Sindh until February 2012, to try to avoid major outbreaks of health epidemics.
The UK also funded training for rural communities on how to prepare for and cope with flooding, as well as supporting cash for work projects to repair flood protection barriers, irrigation channels and other community infrastructure.
This helps reduce vulnerability to future disasters and at the same time provides opportunities for people to earn money through creating employment.
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