Pakistan: Thousands need food, water and medical care
Humanitarian situation
The security situation in Dir and Swat districts, in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), remains volatile. A curfew is still in place in Swat, where streets are almost empty and most shops remain closed. While the harvesting season is almost over, very few people are tending their fields. The population still does not have access to electricity, water and telecommunications. Most residents fled the fighting of the past weeks but an estimated 40,000 residents still live in Swat today.
"Every time we entered a village, hundreds of people asked for help", says Michael von Bergen, a delegate who took part in a convoy delivering assistance in Swat last weekend. "Those who did not leave are now desperate. They need food, clean water and working medical facilities". The ICRC, the only international humanitarian organisation active in Swat and Lower Dir, has started to assist residents there.
The organization is stepping up its support for people affected by fighting in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). It is working closely with the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and other partners within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Following an appeal to donators on 4 June, the ICRC budget for its Pakistan operation stands at over 90 million Swiss francs, making the operation the organization's third largest worldwide.
The ICRC in Swat:
- The ICRC is again present in Swat since 3 June. The organization had worked in Swat prior this latest crisis;
- ICRC health team have supported Saidu Teaching Hospital in Mingora with a generator and fuel to re-establish its access to electricity. They also delivered food, medical supplies, medicine for 10,000 patients for three months and dressing materials. The ICRC evacuated six patients from Saidu Teaching Hospital in Mingora to the ICRC's Peshawar hospital on 6 June;
- Family links were re-established for 100 Mingora residents who had lost contact with relatives who fled south. The organization provided satellite phones to these residents since local phone lines are down;
- A food security assessment was undertaken in Swat as soon as the area could be accessed. The organization decided to respond rapidly and on a wide scale since it is the only international organization currently working in Swat.
ICRC main activities in relation to the crisis:
· Re-establishing family links between Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and their relatives (over 1000 in the last month);
· Co-running Shah Mansoor IDP camp in Swabi, which is hosting 20,000 IDPs. Work is ongoing to improve living conditions. The ICRC and the PRCS are currently
preparing the camps for the onset of the monsoon;
· Supporting two PRCS camps in Malakand Agency (10,000 IDPS) and four in Lower Dir (13,000 IDPs);
· The ICRC's hospital in Peshawar is running at full capacity, providing care for 87
patients, 50 of whom are from Swat. 179 operations have been performed in the past week, including on patients evacuated from areas affected by fighting. The hospital is supported by the Finnish Red Cross.
ICRC/PRCS activities outside of Swat:
- Distribution of food in Shah Mansoor's Swabi camp on 9 June;
- Distribution of food and non-food items, including kitchen items, to over 13,000 IDPs hosted in PRCS camps in Lower Dir on 10 June;
- Distribution of food and non-food items to over 2,000 IDPs currently living with host families in Buner on 11 June.
The ICRC in Pakistan currently employs over 800 national staff and 100 expatriates.
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