Following the recent monsoon floods in Pakistan, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research has requested the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to lead a comprehensive national geospatial flood impact assessment. The floods have caused severe human and economic losses, including widespread casualties, mass displacement, and extensive damage to the agriculture sector.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), this assessment will provide a district-wise breakdown of cropland and crop type damage, which is crucial for planning disaster response and recovery efforts. The first findings are expected to be available as early as next week.
Rapid Needs Assessment and Humanitarian Funding UNOCHA has also reported that a Rapid Needs Assessment (RNA) has been initiated in Punjab, with data collection nearly complete in eight districts: Sialkot, Muzaffargarh, Kasur, Multan, Bahawalpur, Chiniot, Narowal, and Jhang. Assessments have also begun in five additional districts: Okara, Bahawalnagar, Hafizabad, and Gujrat.
To support these efforts, an additional $500,000 from the Asia and Pacific Humanitarian Fund (APHF) has been allocated to humanitarian partners working in Punjab. This follows the $5 million allocated last week by the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to provide essential services like safe drinking water, food, shelter, hygiene kits, and cash assistance for health services. These funds supplemented the $250,000 from the APHF, which was designated for local NGOs in Khyber-Pakhunkhwa to deliver life-saving interventions.
With many UN agencies and NGOs having nearly exhausted their funds, UNOCHA states there is an urgent need for additional contributions to the Pakistan Humanitarian Fund to meet the most critical needs of the affected population.
