415,195 flood victims provided shelter across Sindh

An estimated 415,195 people are presently living in some 2,656 makeshift temporary relief sites, including schools and public buildings, dotted across Sindh. Some 5.74 million people in different districts of the province have been affected by the floods and thousands of them are camped out on higher ground or on roadsides.
A senior official of Sindh government on Saturday said that around 925,000 houses have already been damaged or destroyed, together with an estimated 1.6 million acres of crops, and at least 248 people have died. He said the government is in process to provide around 150,000 tents and that support by international community can help an at least 274,000 vulnerable families feared to be left without emergency shelter.
International Organisation for Migration, following the request forwarded by concerned authorities has approached different donor agencies to assist it in providing "emergency shelter cluster aid," to the victims. Brian Kelly, Emergency Advisor of the Organisation for Asia said these kits include thousands of plastic sheet-based shelter kits. While tents can provide better protection in the short-term, plastic sheet is cheaper, more versatile and can be more useful in the longer term when displaced families return home and use it for waterproofing new shelters and rebuilt homes.
International Organisation for Migration, in collaboration with different international NGOs, has taken upon itself to provide people whose homes have been destroyed with emergency shelter and other essential non-food relief items. This is crucial, said Brian Kelly and referred to recent forecast with more heavy rain expected in the coming days.
International Organisation on Migration has already released to local partners for distribution 18,400 shelter and non-food relief item kits comprising plastic sheeting, ropes, blankets, plastic sleeping mats and cooking utensils to Sindh. The kits are currently being distributed to vulnerable people, particularly targeting women and children, in some of the worst-affected districts including Badin, Jamshoro, Mirpur Khas, Thatta, Tharparkar, Shaheed Benazirabad, Ghotki, Naushehro Feroze, Khairpur, Dadu, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allah Yar and Sanghar.