Project Flood Relief

Recent Rains caused losses to lives, property and Infrastructure

Floods have been known as a major natural catastrophe in the history of Pakistan. In Pakistan floods are mainly caused by the heavy monsoon rains during July to September. During this time, rain fall occurs due to the monsoon system.

Sequence of monsoon rains which is continued from mid of July, has caused extensive loss to precious lives, property and infrastructure in Pakistan.

All provinces of Pakistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir have been affected by the recent rain fall. In northern Pakistan, because of the earthquake, soil has become soft due to which there is land sliding and road destruction. Due to the land sliding and road destruction people of affected areas have the problems of shortage of food and other necessary commodities and items.

In northern Pakistan, people are in difficult situations as after severe earthquake, they were struggling to rebuild and reconstruct their homes to start normal lives. These affected people have been forced to relocate again by heavy rains, land sliding and flooding. Houses, roads, railway tracks, water supplies, sewerage pipelines and crops have been destroyed.

In northern Pakistan, circumstances are more difficult and complex because people in these areas were not settled yet and there occurred another calamity and catastrophe which affected their lives badly. In these areas people were living in tent villages and shelters homes which were washed away by recent flooding and they had to move to another place for shelter.

Recent monsoon rains caused severe flooding to the northern Pakistan, earthquake affected areas, killing at many people since the rains started mid July.
Monsoon rains forced hundreds of thousands of people out of their homes in NWFP, Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan.

The floods had killed at least 230 people, submerged 1000 villages, and ruined tens of thousands of hectors of crops . In Punjab 3732 houses have been partially and 390 completely damaged in 10 districts . Approximately 400 villages have been affected and 12,500 houses damaged in Sindh.

In Mansehra 200-250 houses have been damaged .In Mardan about 100 killed when a bridge collapsed. Approximately 40 villages were affected in Balochistan . Shelters and tents have been collapsed and destroyed in Bagh & Muzaffarabad, the most earthquake affected areas of AJK.Roads have been blocked and people are facing difficulties. It is very difficult to approach earthquake affected people in northern Pakistan due to land sliding.

Helping Hands activities in recent flood in Kutcha Village, (Umar Kot), District Rajanpur, Tehsil Rojhan, Punjab.

Profile of Kutcha Village
Kutcha village is situated along with the River Indus, District RajanPur, Punjab. It is the border area of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. Majority of the people are poor and illiterate.

People are leading their lives hand to mouth. Mostly people are engaged in agriculture, they are working in their farms. Sugarcane, wheat and cotton are the main agriculture products of this area. Due to the high flood in river Indus, this village has been damaged too much. Houses have been collapsed, standing crops have been destroyed and thousands of acres of land have been affected, people are in a very bad condition.

Helping Hands Response in this area

Helping Hands Worldwide decided to chose this remote and backward area to provide relief to the affected people. Helping Hands team accepted the challenge of tough and hard situation and selected this area for operation. Helping Hands team has been working under the supervision of Rana Abdul Raheem Shaukat (Coordinator) in Kutcha village of Punjab. Organization provided rescue and relief activities, food relief and medical facilities.

Organization’s team with 08 volunteers worked in Kutcha village of Punjab. Organization arranged boats to provide rescue and food relief to the both ends of the river Indus. Helping Hands team tried their level best to provide every possible help and assistance to the people of the flood affected area. Team workers kept on carrying and transporting food and relief items to the door steps of the weak and old people.

Organization’s team immediately conducted a survey with the support of local authorities of this area and started its activities over there. Organization selected the most affected people of the area to provide maximum relief to these people.

After survey, affected people have been distributed aid coupons to get food items. To conduct food distribution systematically and transparently, those people were asked to bring those coupons distributed by the organization to get food and relief items.

Food Relief Camps
Helping Hands arranged two food relief camps in this area at the bank of River Indus in Rojhan and sarkari Patan Rojhan.

In these food relief camps affected people were provided Flour, Sugar, Cooking oil, Rice, spices, tea bags, soaps, candles, match boxes, biscuits etc. Affected people were asked to come to food relief camps to get all these things. In this way organization prevented duplication and fake cases. Helping Hands provided food and relief items to near about 320 affected families of this area.

These food relief camps were continued for 3 days. Despite hot weather, suffocation and tough & bad conditions, Organization’s workers and volunteers worked day and night to help and support to the affected people in this hour of need and difficulty.

Medical Relief Camp
Helping Hands Worldwide arranged medical camp to provide medical relief to the affected people of this area. As this area is already deprived of medical facilities, so it was very necessary to arrange medical facilities to these people to overcome the epidemic diseases due to the flood. During survey, it was found that mostly people in this area were suffered in skin epidemic, stomach problems etc. Children had fever and skin epidemic problems, old people suffered in stomach problems, asthma and cough. Throat and chest infections.

 

Organization arranged professional doctors and paramedical staff to provide better medical care to these people. People of this area are speaking local language Balochi, so it was desirable to arrange such medical team which can deal and handle those people in their own language.

Organization arranged medical team which could better understand and deal with those people. In front of that local language and culture familiar medical team, those people felt free to talk and expressed their problems easily.

People from remote areas also came in this medical camp for treatment. Vaccination was given to the children for infection.

Helping poor, needy and disabled is the real purpose and happiness of the life. Majority of the needy and helpless people of the world are waiting for the help and support from those who are financially in a strong position. Our little contribution can send back these helpless and poor people to the way of happiness and prosperity.

Making others happy is said as a Sadaqah by the Holy Prophet Peace be upon Him. If we cannot support financially to any one, smile in his face is known as Sadaqah by the Holy Prophet Peace be upon Him.
If an act of smiling is sadaqah for us, then we cannot estimate and guess the reward of helping and supporting needy and helpless in the hour of need.

Let’s to be committed that we will contribute in the process of making needy and un-privileged people happy and satisfied. By doing so this world will become more gorgeous and magnificent for all of us. May Almighty Allah give us the courage and divine help to make this world more beautiful and glorious.