UNHCR dispatches 8,000 more tents for flood-hit Sindh

More than 2,000 tents and 2,000 kits containing jerry cans, blankets and sleeping mats as well as 4,000 plastic sheets has so far been distributed among the victims, a Spokesperson of UNHCR, Qaisar Khan Afridi told APP here on Wednesday.

He said teams are distributing tents and other emergency aid to families displaced by severe flooding, adding that many of the families, displaced by the floods continue to live in makeshift shelters.

He said the distribution of emergency supplies has so far been focused on southern most districts of Badin and Thatta with 1,000 tents, 1,000 non-food kits and 2,000 plastic sheets for each location.

Afridi said the journey can take several days. The supplies are headed to the districts of Sanghar, Mirpur Khas, Tando Allah Yar and Tando Muhammad Khan in Sindh. UNHCR field staff describe these areas as being under water, he added.

In Badin and Thatta, UNHCR has been working with its partner agency the National Rural Support Program (NRSP), a Pakistani aid group, which is delivering the items and establishing small tent villages of less than 100 families, he said.

He said the scarcity of dry land on which to pitch the tents remains a challenge. Affected families have said they prefer to stay near their livestock.

He said on behalf of the Protection Thematic Working Group, UNHCR has recently led a rapid protection assessment in Sindh province and added focus group discussions were conducted with nearly 6,000 women, men, girls and boys, as well with community leaders and local authorities.

To a question, he said, a similar assessment will start this week in Balochistan.

The assessment report for Sindh reveals difficulties in accessing assistance faced by vulnerable groups such as female-headed households, disabled persons and minorities.

There are also problems of child/family separation, missing family members, loss of civil documentation such as national identity cards, which may hinder access to some types of assistance.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011