One month after the floods first reached disastrous levels in Pakistan, the flood waters continue to rise and international aid agency Oxfam today warned that reconstruction efforts must begin immediately to avoid devastating long-term consequences for the country.
With around 20 million people now affected by flooding in Pakistan, international aid agency Oxfam Australia has joined the Foreign Minister Stephen Smith in appealing to Australians to give generously to support aid efforts.
Stephen Smith and Julie Bishop missed a crucial opportunity to commit to further lifting Australia’s foreign aid spending to match comparable wealthy countries at today’s election debate, international aid agency Oxfam Australia said.
The floods that have engulfed Pakistan over the last week are a mega disaster and the world needs to mount a mega response to ensure the millions affected get the help they need, international aid agency Oxfam said today as it called for a “gear shift” in the response to the crisis.
With more than 3 million people now affected by flooding in Pakistan, Oxfam is supporting local groups who are working around the clock to rescue families cut off by rising flood waters
Oxfam is now delivering clean water to almost 100,000 people made homeless by catastrophic flooding in Pakistan.
Climate change is the central poverty issue of our time. Oxfam is seeing the world’s most vulnerable – who have contributed least to climate change – already suffering most from its effects, facing greater droughts, floods, hunger and disease.
It’s true that people in poor countries on our doorstep won’t be voting for either Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott later this month.
But Australians who care about doing the right thing will be. So it’s no reason for either of the leaders to abandon all mention, during this election campaign, of meeting Australia’s international obligations on climate change, or for not putting up policies that will genuinely reduce Australia’s emissions to the degree that is required.
People in the Swat Valley in Northern Pakistan hit by the catastrophic floods were only just recovering from the conflict that forced them from their homes last year, said Neva Khan, Oxfam’s Country Director in Pakistan.
Oxfam has launched an appeal to support its rapid relief effort to reach almost 400,000 people with clean water, sanitation kits and hygiene supplies in flood-affected north-western Pakistan.