People in southern Pakistan today evacuated areas submerged by the flood waters of the swollen Indus river even as the United Nations warned that international funding for rescue and relief efforts had almost stalled.
The waters of the swollen Indus inundated Khairpur Nathan Shah in Sindh province, forcing 70% of residents to flee their homes and move to safer places.
Local provincial legislator Imran Leghari said an emergency had been declared in the area and people had been asked to evacuate their homes as soon as possible.
Flood waters gushed through two breaches in a protective embankment and entered Jati city of Thatta district after wreaking havoc in nearby Sajawal area.
Flood torrents were also heading towards the vital Indus highway.
Reports from Kashmore district in Sindh said three persons, including two children, had died of gastro-enteritis.
A total of 65 people, including women and children, have died of waterborne diseases in the area over the past three weeks.
Millions of people in Sindh have been deprived of basic facilities and are living in the open. The lack of food and clean water has made flood victims, especially children, vulnerable to diseases.
An estimated half a million flood-affected women are expected to give birth during the coming six months in Pakistan, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The UN said funding for its emergency response plan improved significantly following Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s visit to Pakistan on August 15 but had "almost stalled" since the beginning of last week.
Contributions now stood at USD 291 million or 63.4% of requirements for the emergency response.
"The crisis is far from over. In fact, we are now entering the most difficult stages. Unless we can act fast enough, children and other vulnerable people may succumb," said Tammy Hasselfeldt, head of the NGO consortium Pakistan Humanitarian Forum.
The UN’s emergency response plan currently needs USD 460 million but officials cautioned that requirements are expected to increase "very significantly" when it is revised later this month.
Adding to the woes of relief agencies, the WHO said an estimated half a million flood-affected women are expected to give birth during the next six months.
"We must ensure the health and safety of all these women and their babies," said Martin Mogwanja, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan.
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