Help for flood victims in Pakistan

Official figures state that up to now at least 1500 people have died in the floods.  About 3.2 million people need help. Switzerland is taking action to alleviate the distress. In the Swat Valley three specialists from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit are working together with a Swiss partner and the Pakistani authorities to assess needs and the possibilities of providing aid.  

Already in the first days of the flood disaster the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) took rapid action. An emergency aid project distributed food and hygiene articles in the districts of DI Khan and Karak.  4,000 plastic sheets for emergency accommodation for about 1,000 families have already been purchased locally and will be transported to the affected areas. The emergency aid project run by Humanitarian Aid has already been topped up financially and has provided assistance totalling CHF 250,000. Support for international organisations (UNICEF, WFP, ICRC) in favour of the flood victims is currently under consideration. 

On 3 August the Pakistani authorities requested Switzerland to provide humanitarian aid. The flooding in the various regions of Pakistan continues to threaten human lives. The unrelenting heavy rains have caused rivers to overflow their banks, and regions further south are now also endangered. There is also a risk that the third largest dam in the country may burst. In the eastern region of Punjab, which produces most of Pakistan's corn, hundreds of villages are flooded and the entire harvest has been destroyed. 

Address for enquiries:

Information FDFA
Bundeshaus West
CH-3003 Bern
Tel.: (+41) 031 322 31 53
Fax: (+41) 031 324 90 47
E-Mail: info@eda.admin.ch

Publisher:

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs