Plan responds to deadly floods in Pakistan

At least 1,500 people are now confirmed dead in Pakistan, with another 1.5 million people badly affected by the worst flooding in 80 years.

Donate today to help children and families affected by the deadly floods in Pakistan.

Plan has begun relief work in the Southern Punjab areas of Rajanpur, Muzafargarh and Layyah, as well as districts in Sindh Province. Heavy rain fell on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, formerly North West Frontier Province, for 48 hours at the end of last week, causing almost all of the province’s rivers and streams to overflow.

Emergency response

Local authorities have set up 17 emergency shelter camps in Rajanpur and 22 in Layyah – with an average of 60 to 70 families in each camp. Plan is providing bottled water, dry milk, rations and cooked meals to over 13,000 families. Child protection is a priority, and field staff are working alongside local teams to assess the emotional distress of people affected.

27,000 people are still stranded without aid and there are now further threats of flooding in previously unaffected areas.

Disease outbreak fear

An outbreak of diarrhea and cholera is also feared: Plan is working closely with health officials to monitor and address disease, and is considering setting up mobile health camps in Layyah. Currently, Plan is assembling 13,000 health and hygiene family kits for distribution.

“Rains have washed away hundreds of homes and shops, dozens of bridges, roads and destroyed communication networks, while livestock and crops have been lost,” says Rashid Javed of Plan Pakistan.

Protecting aid supplies

As flood waters begin to enter Plan’s Disaster Risk Reduction program areas in the province of Sindh in the districts of Thatta, Ghotki and Khairpur, Plan is looking to warehouse aid supplies so that they are not damaged.

Dams and barrages were expected to reach ‘super flood’ status over the weekend, while officials fear the true scale of the crisis is not yet known. Government efforts are focused on the evacuation of villages along the river banks and low lying areas.

Information for sponsors

We will contact sponsors directly if we receive any news about individual sponsored children. If you are planning a visit or have any particular concerns around this issue, please contact our Donor Relations staff at donorrelations@planusa.org or at 1-800-556-7918.

Donate today to provide immediate relief to children and families affected by floods in Pakistan.

Learn more about Plan's work in Pakistan.