NDMA seeks IOM help in Delivery of Global Aid to Flood Victims
The Government of Pakistan has requested IOM to act as consignee for receiving and quickly delivering in-kind contributions by the international community, increasingly pouring into the country.
“Due to presence of International Organization of Migration (IOM) throughout the flood-affected areas, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) supports IOM to act as a consignee for humanitarian cargo, particularly shelter material and non-food items, coming into Pakistan”, says an official communication to IOM.
The NDMA made this request after IOM successful handled eight incoming flights – four from the UK, three from the US and one on behalf of the United Nations – full of in-kind shelter and household relief materials including shelter kits, plastic sheets, blankets, jerry cans and buckets.
“We remain committed to support the government’s flood response by covering key logistical gaps which are very crucial to deliver aid to flood victims in their respective areas as well as displacement locations”, says Hassan Abdel Moneim Mostafa, IOM Regional Representative for West and Central Asia.
In total, cargoes handled by IOM over the last week included 1,500 tents, 36,100 plastic sheets and ropes, 65,500 blankets and 24,000 buckets donated by USAID's Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID).
In Islamabad alone, 132 trucks carried at least 500 tonnes of relief cargo deliveries to the affected areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
According to the Emergency Shelter Cluster, materials have now been distributed to provide shelter for 134,000 families. The cluster has another 78,000 tents and 311,000 plastic sheets in the pipeline to provide shelter for another 233,000 families. But according to the National Disaster Management Authority more than 892,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed. This means that at least another 525,000 homeless families may need help – either from the government or from international