Appeal issued on August 12, 2020
It is over
20 million people affected by the flood now
The flood
is still on dangerous levels in several parts of Pakistan. The numbers
of people effected by the flood have crossed 20 million. More torrential
rains are forecast by the weather department. This is been considered
one of the most devastating flood in world history. The UN has once
again appealed for donations for Pakistan. But there has been a very
slow response internationally to help Pakistan in this period of great
devastation.
After
destroying most of Khaiber Pukhtoonkhawa and Southern Punjab, the water
has now washed down the Indus River Valley, causing a deluge in Sindh.
The water has been powered by unusually fierce monsoon rains that began
in country’s northern areas some three weeks ago.
Roads, bridges and other infrastructure have given way, overwhelming the
government's ability to cope. At this point an estimated 1,600 have been
killed with another 5 million left homeless.
The Labour
Relief Campaign (LRC), launched in October 2005 after an earthquake
killed nearly 100,000, has put up relief camps in several parts of
Pakistan. The LRC springs into action whenever there is an emergency
situation. Member organizations include Progressive Youth Front, Women
Workers Help Line, Labour Education Foundation, National Trade Union
Federation, CADTM Pakistan, Labour Party Pakistan, Pakistan For
Palestine and Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee. Currently the Lahore
camp at Regal Chouck is raising thousands of rupees every day in aid.
Here is
report of a union council in Khaiber Pukhtoon Khawa province by a team
of four LRC members led by Farooq Ahmad, member of the federal executive
committee, Labour Party Pakistan:
On 29 July
Pir Sabaq, a Union Council of Nowshehra district, with a population of
more than 34,000, is completely destroyed by the recent flood waters. A
tent city of more than 1,000 tents has been established but most of the
people are still forced to live in homes partially destroyed by the
flood. This can lead to a major building collapsing any time, resulting
in the further loss of lives.
In
addition to losing their homes most people found their household items
have been swept away. They have lost their cattle and goats as well.
People without anything to eat, drink or wear.
Pir Sabaq
is mainly a town of working-class people who work in marble or
stone-crushing factories, or in the construction sector or agriculture
sectors. When a LRC team visited yesterday, local people told about how
water more than 14 feet high reached the town’s roof tops. Since the
flood came around 4 a.m., while people were sleeping in the comfort of
their homes, there was no chance to save anything but their lives.
The owners
of small tourist boats did their best to help save lives of common
people.
By
contrast, when army helicopters arrived at the scene, they began
evacuating the families of military men and residents of the big houses.
People immediately saw the way the army discriminated about who they
aided. People told the LRC team that many stranded on the roof tops of
their houses waved their hands in the air when they saw the army
helicopters coming, but it was of no use.
People
have also blamed the government for failing to inform them on time about
the danger of the flood. Some also charged that water was allowed to
flow from the Warsik dam in order to save the nearby military camps.
The LRC
team saw the house of Pervaiz Lala, general secretary of LPP in Pir
Sabaq. It, like the majority, was completely destroyed; he and his
family is now homeless. He told them the people did not eat for almost
three days after the flood. Not a single governmental official has
visited the area so far. The information minister of KP province, Mian
Iftikhar Hussain, stated in clear terms that the provincial government
cannot do anything to help people in this disaster. however two days
before an NGO started providing some food.
There is
still water all over Pir Sabaq. A bad smell is everywhere and no clean
drinking water is available. The children are suffering from diarrhea
and skin rashes. The local government dispensary, the only medical
facility for the townspeople, has been totally destroyed. In this
environment people are haunted by the possibility of diseases being
spread.
People now
are in need of: food items like cooking oil, wheat flour, milk, sugar,
clean drinking water, vegetables, clothes, tents, cooking utensils and
medicine.
Here is an
appeal we launched on 7th August that gives you some more
information and the ways to help the campaign.
Appeal
issued on August 7, 2020
More than 12 million people suffering from floods in Pakistan
Please
donate to the Labour Relief Campaign to help people of Pakistan who are
facing floods and torrential rains have unleashed flash floods in
different parts of the country over the last three weeks. Water levies
have broken, leaving the people exposed to flood water.
More than 12 million people have suffered due to these floods. More than
650,000 houses have collapsed, mainly in villages.
Thousands of acres of crops have been destroyed. Houses, live-stock such
as cattle and goats have been destroyed, along with household goods,
clothes, shoes and other items. Residents of villages are currently
without drinkable water, food, shelter and in need of clothes.
In particular, the situation is dire for children and women; they are in
desperate need of food and clothing. Due to the lack of drinkable water
disease is spreading rapidly in the affected areas. In particular, flu,
fever, diarrhea, and cholera have been noted.
The government’s response has made matters worse. They failed to act
immediately, leaving tens of thousands unaided. They came after
twenty-four hours to the makeshift camps with paltry amounts of food to
distribute. The gap between the food being distributed and the large
number of people desperate to eat led to fights breaking out.
Despite the fact that there is very little coverage in the media, the
situation in Baluchistan is just as bad as in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa and
western and southern Punjab. As usual, Baluich not at the top of the
government's priority list. Last night heavy rains started in the
Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa province.
The Labour Education Foundation, Labour Party of Pakistan, National
Trade Union Federation, Women Workers Help Line and Progressive Youth
Front have set up Labour Flood Relief Camps in Lahore and so far have
collected more than 300,000 rupees. Rs. 110,000 has already been sent to
Baluchistan and more than 200,000 are on their way to Southern Punjab to
help flood victims.
We appeal our friends and organizations in Pakistan and abroad for
donations of a monetary kind or in the form of drinking water, clothes
(new), shoes, medicine.
If you wish to transfer funds, below are details of the account for
sending money to the LRC.
A/C Title: Labour Education Foundation
A/C Number: 01801876
Route:
Please advise and pay to Citi Bank, New York, USA Swift CITI US 33 for
onward transfer to BANK ALFALAH LTD., KARACHI, PAKISTAN A/C No. 36087144
and for final transfer to BANK ALFALAH LTD., LDA PLAZA, KASHMIR ROAD,
LAHORE, PAKISTAN Swift: ALFHPKKALDA for A/C No. 01801876 OF LABOUR
EDUCATION FOUNDATION.
