UN asking for five times more international aid after deadly floods in Pakistan left millions of survivors homeless and at rising risk of waterborne diseases and other ailments
The disaster displaced 7.9 million people. Of them, half a million are still living in tents and makeshift homes.
The request in Geneva came a day after Julien Harneis, the UN coordinator for Pakistan, said diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, scabies and malnutrition are fueling a “second wave of death and destruction," with children and women in its path. On Tuesday, Harneis said that the UN is issuing the revised appeal to meet the urgent needs of the flood victims. “We need all of these funds and we need them quickly," he said.
“We must all work together to support the people of Pakistan – we need an integrated approach that puts less emphasis on the work of each agency, and more on the needs of people," he said, adding that “the water has stopped rising, but the danger has not" and “we are on the verge of a public health disaster."