Islamabad, Pakistan (BBN)- Just two weeks after having been appointed as the new United Nations Special Envoy for Assistance to Pakistan, Rauf Engin Soysal is on the ground to assess the impact of the deadly floods, cautioning that the bulk of the rebuilding effort is still ahead.
“Seeing the devastation first-hand and speaking with flood-affected families confirmed the astonishing reality of a continuing emergency for millions of people,” he said in Sindh province.
“And even two months on, the world must not forget those in Pakistan still in need of urgent humanitarian assistance,” Mr. Soysal added.
Sindh remains one of the hardest-hit areas of the South Asian nation, with more than one million people uprooted by the flooding and 27,000 square kilometers of land under water. Some 1.1 million homes have been destroyed or damaged.
Waterborne diseases resulting from limited or poor access to safe water and sanitation are the biggest public health threats, with millions at risk of contracting deadly diseases through contaminated water and insects, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that malaria cases are on the rise.
BBN/SSR/AD-14Oct10-10:32 am (BST)