This is the most severe flooding in Pakistan’s recent history, which has resulted in 1,569 deaths, over 12,000 injured, and hundreds of thousands of homes damaged or destroyed. Close to a million livestock have been killed, and agricultural fields inundated, with crops and stored supplies of food destroyed. This is not the kind of flood that causes weeks of havoc and then leaves behind fertile lands. Six months from now, flooded fields still may not be ready for cultivation. Most people affected by the floods live off the land, from crop to crop.

As floodwaters slowly recede, the sheer scale of damage is being revealed. Many public health facilities, water systems and schools have been destroyed or damaged. Over 500,000 people are living in temporary camps because of the floods, with no drinking water, no food, and no livelihood, exposed to a wide range of new flood-related risks and hazards. The people are desperately in need of assistance and are at increased risk of waterborne diseases, drowning and malnutrition due to food shortages.