Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Punjab Provinces / Pakistan

Emergency relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation after severe monsoon floods

In July and August 2010, heavy monsoon rains hit Pakistan and led to the worst flooding ever recorded in the country. In the beginning the floods primarily affected the northwest of Pakistan. However, they soon spread to the south along the Indus River until an area of at least 160,000 km, more than one fifth of the whole country, was flooded.

: After the floods, Malteser International's mobile medical teams care for the population in the Swat valley.

Situation

Goals

Measures

Project data & Contact

In the north, the flood of water rushed down the mountains and caused widespread damage to public infrastructure with roads submerged and bridges swept away. In the wake of the floods many houses, schools, mosques and health facilities were left destroyed. All that remained were ruins and debris, mud and sludge.
In the southern plains, innumerable Pakistani people had to flee from the water that ravaged huge areas. About 20 million people are still affected: Families have lost their belongings and crops, children are not able to go back to school because the school buildings that were not destroyed are now urgently needed as temporary shelters. The danger that diseases might spread among the population is omnipresent.

The presence of Malteser International in Pakistan reaches back to 2005, when a devastating earthquake hit the country on 5 October. Since this catastrophe Malteser International has been active among others in the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). Here, the teams supported internally displaced people that had fled from the area in spring 2009 because of fights between Taliban rebels and the Pakistani military and later had returned to their home villages. The Swat valley, the region that was flooded first, is located in precisely this province. That is why Malteser International immediately was in a position to provide emergency relief specifically in the medical sector. Also in the provinces of Kohistan and Punjab, the relief service provides medical emergency relief and supports water supply, sanitation and hygiene.

However, the strategy of Malteser International contains a long-term perspective and thus goes far beyond emergency relief. The preparations for early recovery as well as for reconstruction and rehabilitation are thus in full progress. A lot needs to be rebuilt and it is necessary to make sure that the Pakistani people in future will be protected better against similar disasters.

improvement of the populations health status
improvement of drinking water supply and hygiene
improvement of sanitation
strengthening of the populations capacities in disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction

Malteser International provides emergency relief in three strongly affected districts: In Swat and Kohistan (KPK), located in the northwest of Pakistan, and in the southern district of Rahim Yar Kahn (Punjab):

deployment of ten medical teams including doctors, midwives, medical technicians, and hygiene promoters
deployment of medical teams in mobile clinics to remote areas
treatment of diseases such as acute diarrhoea and respiratory infections as well as immunisation against common diseases like measles
educational trainings on correct hygienic behaviour, the correct handling of drinking water, and the prevention against diseases
support of governmental health facilities
distribution of food, drinking water, and family/hygiene kits including hygiene items, cooking equipment, and blankets
winter relief Kohistan: Distribution of diesel mills, winterhard shelters with energy saving ovens and other relief items.

The following measures are planned for reconstruction and rehabilitation:

repair, reconstruction, and equipping of health centres
educational trainings for local health staff
supply of drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene
repair, reconstruction and equipping of schools
rehabilitation of agriculturally used fields
agricultural support through supply of seeds, fertilisers, and tools for farmers
trainings in disaster preparedness for the local authorities and for the population

Project data
Duration:	since July 2010
Financing:	Germanys Relief Coalition, Federal Foreign Office of Germany, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Germany), World Health Organisation, Neighbour in Need (Asutria), donations from companies, private donations, Malteser International
Partner:	LASOONA, NIDA, Paiman, Caravan (NGOs based in Swat), NIDA and Sungi (NGOs based in Kohistan), REED (NGO based in Rahim Yar Khan)
Contact
Malteser:	Christof Ruhmich
	info(at)malteser-international.org