United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has announced a USD 5 million allocation from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the Government-led flood response in Pakistan.

The funding will enable UN agencies and partners to deliver immediate life-saving assistance to some of the 4 million people affected by flooding so far, including more than 2 million displaced from their homes in search of higher ground. Support will include the provision of safe drinking water, food, shelter, hygiene kits, and mosquito nets, alongside health services, psychological support, and emergency cash assistance.

“The Government of Pakistan has done incredible work to evacuate people, saving countless lives, but the communities are struggling,” said Mohamed Yahya, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan. “These funds will help the UN supplement the Government’s efforts to provide flood-affected families with critical relief interventions, in coordination with local NGOs on the ground.”

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The $5 million allocation will supplement the $600,000 already provided by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to pooled funds that support local NGOs in delivering essential life-saving interventions.

More heavy rains are forecast in the coming days, with high flood warnings as water levels continue to rise. Sindh province is now at particular risk as floodwaters flow down the Indus River, threatening another 1.6 million people and raising fears of “super floods.”

Supercharged monsoon rains and cloudbursts have triggered widespread and exceptionally severe flooding across Pakistan, ravaging swathes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and leaving large parts of Punjab, the country’s most populous province, submerged. With reports of water depths up to 10 meters, some communities have become inaccessible. Swollen rivers have inundated farmlands, roads, homes, schools, and health centers, leaving at least 892 people dead and causing a surge in waterborne diseases.

Pakistan is among the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, where scorching heatwaves accelerate glacial melt and glacial lake outbursts, compounded by increasingly erratic, extreme monsoon rains. In 2022, the country was devastated by floods that affected 33 million people.