World Water Council Offers Support to Pakistani Flood Victims

In response to the tragic flood disaster in Pakistan, the World Water Council has offered its full support to the Pakistani authorities for relief and reconstruction efforts.

Marseille, Friday 27 August 2010 - In a letter to the Minister of Water and Power in Pakistan, Raja Pervez Ashraft, the President of the World Water Council, Loïc Fauchon, expressed his deepest sympathies for the victims of the worst flooding in the country's history. Offering to assist the Pakistani authorities, he pledged the full support of the Council and its members. Says Loïc Fauchon: "The World Water Council stands ready to work closely with the Pakistani government and the international community to support relief and reconstruction efforts."

The humanitarian catastrophe leaves a fifth of Pakistan under water, and millions of people struggling without proper shelter, food and clean water. Speaking at a news conference after touring the affected areas, Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon described the situation as "heart wrenching": "I have visited the scenes of many natural disasters around the world, but nothing like this". Many fear the outbreak of water-borne diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea will threaten the lives of those millions that just survived the flood peaks. The recent UN donor conference confirmed that over $460 million of aid will be needed for immediate relief and further pledges are required to mobilise this amount.

The immediate hazards in the aftermath of a natural disaster are often of the same nature: lack of potable water, disruptions in water supplies and sewage systems, food shortages, infectious disease outbreaks and lack of shelter. Major concerns exist that the devastation to farmland and irrigation systems will mean that large numbers of Pakistani farmers will not be able to produce a crop during this year and next, severely undermining the food-security situation in the country. Rapidly reconstructing large parts of the water and sanitation infrastructure to resume adequate water supplies to cities and farms will be key to avoiding a lasting drama. The World Water Council therefore calls upon the international community to mobilise additional funds to help in the reconstruction of the devastated infrastructure.

The World Water Council stands ready to assist Pakistan in the relief and reconstruction efforts through mobilising the knowledge and expertise from its 400 member organisations. As in the past, World Water Council members are engaged in sending relief goods and teams of engineers and relief specialist. In his letter to Minister Ashraft, Mr. Fauchon vowed the World Water Council to support Pakistan in the weeks and months to come.

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