Help Pakistan's flood victims by donating to Dawn Relief
We want to extend our efforts to flood-stricken areas across the country. Help us do so by donating generously.
Published August 27, 2022
As the 2022 flood emergency overtakes Pakistan, Dawn Relief once again deploys its resources to provide relief and rehabilitation in Balochistan.
In line with our vision to provide relief and rehabilitation to people in distress, Dawn Relief has initiated relief operations in those villages in Balochistan that have been worst-hit by floods.
We are providing flood-hit families with non-perishable food items, drinking water and essential medicine. We aim to replicate these efforts across the country, after which we will initiate our Home and School Reconstruction Programme which we implemented previously in Azad Kashmir, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
1) Send a cheque or money order to:
DawnRelief, c/o Irfan ul Haq, DawnRelief, Haroon House, Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Karachi 74500
2) Donate via bank transfer.
Account title: Dawn Relief Earthquake Welfare Organisation
National Bank of Pakistan
Account number: 4000373293
IBAN: PK81NBPA0223004000373293
We have been rebuilding lives for 15+ years and extended relief efforts to people affected by the earthquake in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (2005), the earthquake in Balochistan (2008), the humanitarian crisis in Swat (2009), the floods in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2010 & 2011), the earthquake in Churan Oveer, Chitral (2015), the Covid lockdown (2020) and the destruction of settlements due to construction along Gujjar Nalla and Orangi Nalla (2021).
We want to extend our efforts to flood-stricken areas across the country. Help us do so by donating generously.
For more information, please call Irfan ul Haq at (021)3561-3115 or e-mail irfanuhaq@gmail.com during regular business hours.
Relief efforts
Editorial
Published August 28, 2022
HARROWING videos on social media of people, homes and commercial establishments being swept away by raging floodwaters have succeeded in bringing the ongoing monsoon-related disaster front and centre on the national stage and finally shaken the authorities out of their torpor.
No less than 116 districts have been affected. Of them, 66 are officially declared ‘calamity hit’. Nearly 1,000 people have died, while millions are without shelter, food and potable water. The government and NGOs have launched relief efforts in the worst-affected areas. In fact, NGOs — including smaller welfare organisations — were comparatively quicker off the mark in sending out provisions, tents, etc some weeks ago to help lessen the effects of the unfolding tragedy.
Appeals to the public for donations are popping up all over social media, in newspapers and on television, and a citizenry known for its altruism must dig deep within these financially straitened times to come to their compatriots’ help. On Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s appeal, global organisations and financial institutions have also announced immediate aid of more than $500m for flood victims. Former prime minister Imran Khan, after an inexplicable initial reluctance, has announced he would lead an international telethon to raise funds for flood victims. Politics must take a backseat for now.
Read: How to help Pakistanis affected by the floods
A general consensus is that this year’s disaster surpasses the ‘super floods’ of 2010. The destruction of infrastructure, including key roads and bridges, has compounded the challenge of accessing affected people. Aside from this, there is the question of tailoring the response to effectively meet the victims’ needs — always an important consideration but particularly so at a time when the country’s finances are already stretched thin. For example, many people have no means at present to cook anything; they must be provided cooked meals.
During the 2010 floods as well as the earthquake of 2005, it was seen that people rushed pell-mell to the affected areas out of a desire to help. Pakistanis also donated wholeheartedly in both cash and kind. But because the relief effort — at least in the earlier stages — was not properly coordinated and mapped out, there was chaos and replication of efforts, and whereas in some places donation was in excess of need, certain affected areas fell through the cracks. It is thus imperative for the provincial governments, especially their disaster management authorities, to play an effective role in coordinating diverse relief initiatives so that money and effort are judiciously utilised.
Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2022
Charity bodies face uphill task of taking aid to flood-hit areas of Sindh, Balochistan
No less than 116 districts have been affected. Of them, 66 are officially declared ‘calamity hit’. Nearly 1,000 people have died, while millions are without shelter, food and potable water. The government and NGOs have launched relief efforts in the worst-affected areas. In fact, NGOs — including smaller welfare organisations — were comparatively quicker off the mark in sending out provisions, tents, etc some weeks ago to help lessen the effects of the unfolding tragedy.
Appeals to the public for donations are popping up all over social media, in newspapers and on television, and a citizenry known for its altruism must dig deep within these financially straitened times to come to their compatriots’ help. On Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s appeal, global organisations and financial institutions have also announced immediate aid of more than $500m for flood victims. Former prime minister Imran Khan, after an inexplicable initial reluctance, has announced he would lead an international telethon to raise funds for flood victims. Politics must take a backseat for now.
Read: How to help Pakistanis affected by the floods
A general consensus is that this year’s disaster surpasses the ‘super floods’ of 2010. The destruction of infrastructure, including key roads and bridges, has compounded the challenge of accessing affected people. Aside from this, there is the question of tailoring the response to effectively meet the victims’ needs — always an important consideration but particularly so at a time when the country’s finances are already stretched thin. For example, many people have no means at present to cook anything; they must be provided cooked meals.
During the 2010 floods as well as the earthquake of 2005, it was seen that people rushed pell-mell to the affected areas out of a desire to help. Pakistanis also donated wholeheartedly in both cash and kind. But because the relief effort — at least in the earlier stages — was not properly coordinated and mapped out, there was chaos and replication of efforts, and whereas in some places donation was in excess of need, certain affected areas fell through the cracks. It is thus imperative for the provincial governments, especially their disaster management authorities, to play an effective role in coordinating diverse relief initiatives so that money and effort are judiciously utilised.
Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2022
Charity bodies face uphill task of taking aid to flood-hit areas of Sindh, Balochistan
Published August 27, 2022
Volunteers work at camps set up along the roads in Karachi by two separate charity organisations to collect relief goods and donations from citizens on Friday.—Fahim Siddiqi / White Star
• Camps set up across city for collection of donations and relief goods
• Accessibility to devastated areas becomes difficult due to broken, inundated roads
KARACHI: As heavy rains have triggered floods and wreaked havoc across the country, charity organisations and welfare bodies also pumped up their relief activities for hundreds of thousands of flood victims arriving at Karachi to seek shelter, but what emerges as the main challenge for the welfare bodies is to execute and take this huge gigantic operation to the disaster-hit areas after torrential rains have washed away key roads and highway links.
Hundreds of volunteers from Karachi associated with different organisations have already left for flood-hit areas in Sindh and Balochistan but the people engaged in supervising these activities now find it difficult to transport the truckloads of relief goods to the affected towns and villages due to ruined infrastructure.
They agree that the current level of crisis is much severe than the one which was witnessed in 2010.
Sarfaraz Sheikh, who’s heading the disaster management cell of the Al-Khidmat, said his organisation was generating funds from across the country, but they were operating from Karachi for dispatching relief goods, recruiting volunteers and arranging resources for flood-hit districts of Sindh and Balochistan.
“But the bigger challenge right now is that right from Hyderabad onwards, the whole province is inundated with flood water, whether it’s road, highway or any other alternative route,” he said.
“So arranging resources is one challenge, but delivering them at the right place is another challenge. In order to meet this challenge we have redesigned our strategy. We have set up a massive kitchen in Sakrand and a second one is being opened in Sukkur tomorrow [Saturday] that will provide cooked food twice a day in all three major affected areas — Sukkur, Shikarpur and Jacobabad. We are coordinating with the local administrations and all other welfare organisations for better and effective operation.”
He said Al-Khidmat had planned its operation in four areas — shelters, rations, medical camps and cooked and ready-to-eat food.
Under this strategy, he said, the organisation had set up base camps in Sukkur and Sakrand for relief operation in Sindh.
In Balochistan, he said, the team was engaged for last three weeks and camps were set up in Bela and Quetta.
Zafar Abbass of the Jafria Disaster Cell (JDC), which has set up donation camps across the city, believes media moved a little late to highlight the tragedy that had been claiming lives and property for a month.
But still, he appealed to Karachiites for donations and precisely mentioned a few things which were crucial in relief work.
“We have been providing food, tents and rations and using dozens of boats to evacuate people marooned in flooded areas,” he said.
“We have camps at Do Talwar, Numaish, Incholi and Five Star Chowrangi where people are offering donations. Both in Sindh and Balochistan, I have personally seen hundreds of villages turned flat, where homes, crops and every single structure have been wiped out. This tragedy is huge and we expect the same level of response from the people of Karachi.”
He requested for more government efforts and assistance to all those charity and welfare organisations carrying out relief operations in Sindh and Balochistan.
Hundred of trucks carrying relief goods are stuck in traffic jams due to ruined infrastructure and this issue must be resolved immediately for timely distribution of relief items to the affected people.
Fears of epidemic
Edhi Foundation, fears spread of epidemic diseases among children and women.
A field hospital, the charity says, is being established in Jacobabad which will cater to thousands of patients.
“Evacuation operation of our teams in Sindh is almost done and now it’s time to provide them shelters,” said an official of the charity.
“We are running out of time and it’s very crucial to carry out this operation with all due care and planning. The children, women and elderly people are vulnerable to different viral and infectious diseases due to flooding. After arranging food and shelter, our volunteers are now working with medical teams to address healthcare issue.”
Saylani Welfare has also set up a ‘logistic centre’ in Hyderabad, which is catering to the affected people in neighbouring areas and another one has been set up in Sukkur which is looking after the people in Khairpur, Kot Diji and Pano Aqil.
“At least 50,000 people are being fed daily through this logistic centre,” said the charity’s spokesman.
“Similarly, permanent kitchens have been set up in Matiari, Moosa Khatiyan, Kotri and Tando Jam. The evacuation in Sindh and Balochistan is almost done. Now the bigger challenge is the shelter and food for the homeless people. The people are sitting on main highways and roads under open sky. Their settlement needs gigantic effort.”
Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2022
• Camps set up across city for collection of donations and relief goods
• Accessibility to devastated areas becomes difficult due to broken, inundated roads
KARACHI: As heavy rains have triggered floods and wreaked havoc across the country, charity organisations and welfare bodies also pumped up their relief activities for hundreds of thousands of flood victims arriving at Karachi to seek shelter, but what emerges as the main challenge for the welfare bodies is to execute and take this huge gigantic operation to the disaster-hit areas after torrential rains have washed away key roads and highway links.
Hundreds of volunteers from Karachi associated with different organisations have already left for flood-hit areas in Sindh and Balochistan but the people engaged in supervising these activities now find it difficult to transport the truckloads of relief goods to the affected towns and villages due to ruined infrastructure.
They agree that the current level of crisis is much severe than the one which was witnessed in 2010.
Sarfaraz Sheikh, who’s heading the disaster management cell of the Al-Khidmat, said his organisation was generating funds from across the country, but they were operating from Karachi for dispatching relief goods, recruiting volunteers and arranging resources for flood-hit districts of Sindh and Balochistan.
“But the bigger challenge right now is that right from Hyderabad onwards, the whole province is inundated with flood water, whether it’s road, highway or any other alternative route,” he said.
“So arranging resources is one challenge, but delivering them at the right place is another challenge. In order to meet this challenge we have redesigned our strategy. We have set up a massive kitchen in Sakrand and a second one is being opened in Sukkur tomorrow [Saturday] that will provide cooked food twice a day in all three major affected areas — Sukkur, Shikarpur and Jacobabad. We are coordinating with the local administrations and all other welfare organisations for better and effective operation.”
He said Al-Khidmat had planned its operation in four areas — shelters, rations, medical camps and cooked and ready-to-eat food.
Under this strategy, he said, the organisation had set up base camps in Sukkur and Sakrand for relief operation in Sindh.
In Balochistan, he said, the team was engaged for last three weeks and camps were set up in Bela and Quetta.
Zafar Abbass of the Jafria Disaster Cell (JDC), which has set up donation camps across the city, believes media moved a little late to highlight the tragedy that had been claiming lives and property for a month.
But still, he appealed to Karachiites for donations and precisely mentioned a few things which were crucial in relief work.
“We have been providing food, tents and rations and using dozens of boats to evacuate people marooned in flooded areas,” he said.
“We have camps at Do Talwar, Numaish, Incholi and Five Star Chowrangi where people are offering donations. Both in Sindh and Balochistan, I have personally seen hundreds of villages turned flat, where homes, crops and every single structure have been wiped out. This tragedy is huge and we expect the same level of response from the people of Karachi.”
He requested for more government efforts and assistance to all those charity and welfare organisations carrying out relief operations in Sindh and Balochistan.
Hundred of trucks carrying relief goods are stuck in traffic jams due to ruined infrastructure and this issue must be resolved immediately for timely distribution of relief items to the affected people.
Fears of epidemic
Edhi Foundation, fears spread of epidemic diseases among children and women.
A field hospital, the charity says, is being established in Jacobabad which will cater to thousands of patients.
“Evacuation operation of our teams in Sindh is almost done and now it’s time to provide them shelters,” said an official of the charity.
“We are running out of time and it’s very crucial to carry out this operation with all due care and planning. The children, women and elderly people are vulnerable to different viral and infectious diseases due to flooding. After arranging food and shelter, our volunteers are now working with medical teams to address healthcare issue.”
Saylani Welfare has also set up a ‘logistic centre’ in Hyderabad, which is catering to the affected people in neighbouring areas and another one has been set up in Sukkur which is looking after the people in Khairpur, Kot Diji and Pano Aqil.
“At least 50,000 people are being fed daily through this logistic centre,” said the charity’s spokesman.
“Similarly, permanent kitchens have been set up in Matiari, Moosa Khatiyan, Kotri and Tando Jam. The evacuation in Sindh and Balochistan is almost done. Now the bigger challenge is the shelter and food for the homeless people. The people are sitting on main highways and roads under open sky. Their settlement needs gigantic effort.”
Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2022
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