The additional $3 million flood relief aid comes just 18 days after the $2 million immediate humanitarian assistance thus bringing Australia’s total aid down to $5 million
The Australian Government just recently announced that it will provide an additional $3 million in immediate humanitarian assistance in the account of recent floods that have completely devastated the country and affected almost 33 million people.
Announcing the humanitarian assistance, Australian minister ‘Penny Wong’ said that water is covering around one-third of Pakistan and it can take up to several months until it is completely drained out. With water standing on most of the country’s agricultural land, things such as crops, food security and livelihoods have massively suffered.
Explaining the devastation in numbers, Wong said that the flood has wiped out around 1.7 million houses and even one-third of the country’s cotton crop, a crop that directly influences Pakistan’s foreign earnings.
According to Minister Wong, humanitarian aid is to be delivered through the World Food Program. “The Australian Government’s deepest sympathies are with the families and communities that have been and continue to be, greatly affected. Australia’s support will be delivered through the World Food Program to address emergency food and livelihood needs, including for women and children who remain disproportionately affected,” she said, adding that this will bring Australia’s total humanitarian response to the floods to $5 million.”
With the additional $3 million in humanitarian assistance, Australia’s total flood relief aid adds up to $5 million since the Australian Government just weeks ago announced a $2 million flood relief, but with worsening situations and increasing death tolls, the government decided to up the numbers. Alongside Australia, other countries such as China, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, US, and the UK have also announced flood relief aids.
Recent reports suggest that around 1545 people have been dead by now and the effects are seemingly even worse than the floods in 2010 that took the life of 2000 people.
