20 million rendered homeless 6 million victims await aid Body formed to raise funds Global response less generous ISLAMABAD - A case of the deadly waterborne disease cholera has been confirmed in Pakistan's flood-ravaged northwest, and aid workers expect there to be more, the UN said Saturday. The discovery came as new flood surges hit the south and the prime minister said the deluge has made 20 million people homeless. The flooding disaster has battered Pakistan's economy and undermined its political stability at a time when the United States needs its steadfast cooperation against extremism. The UN has appealed for an initial $460 million to provide relief to Pakistan but has said the country will need billions to rebuild once the flood recedes. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is also expected to visit country soon, possibly over the weekend. The floods have killed about 1,500 people, and aid workers have warned that diseases could raise that toll. UN aid agencies have provided assisstance to hundreds of thousands of flood victims but relief operations have yet to reach an estimated six million people. One case of cholera was confirmed in Mingora, the main town in the northwest's Swat Valley, UN spokesman Maurizio Giuliano said Saturday. Other cases were suspected, and aid workers are now responding to all those exhibiting acute watery diarrhea as if it is cholera, Giuliano said. Cholera can lead to severe dehydration and death without prompt treatment, and containing cholera outbreaks is considered a high priority following floods. UN officials, citing government figures, have said around 14 million Pakistanis were directly or indirectly affected. But in a televised address to the nation Saturday, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said 20 million were now homeless. He did not elaborate, and it was unclear how many of those people were briefly forced to leave their homes and how many had lost their houses altogether. Later Saturday, Gilani agreed to a proposal from opposition leader Nawaz Sharif that an independent body be appointed to raise relief funds and oversee their spending in a transparent manner to boost Pakistan's credibility in the eyes of the international community. The two made the announcement amid signs that the global response to the flooding has been less generous than to previous calamities. Some aid experts have said perceived corruption in the government could be holding back some donors. Fresh flood waves swelled the River Indus Saturday, threatening nearby cities, towns and villages in southern Sindh province, said Mohammed Ajmal Shad, a senior meteorologist. The Indus was already more than 15 miles wide at some points - 25 times wider than during normal monsoon seasons. Authorities were trying to evacuate or warn people in Jacobabad, Hyderabad, Thatta, Ghotki, Larkana and other areas. Already, many flood victims are living in muddy camps or overcrowded government buildings, while thousands more are sleeping in the open next to their cows, goats and whatever possessions they managed to drag with them. “My house was swept away in the floodwater. I have no shelter, no clothes and nothing to eat. I am living in misery,” said Allah Wasai of Muzzafargarh. “I lost everything. I'm now at God's mercy.” Anger is spreading, raising the possibility of social unrest. In Sindh province, flood victims complain of looting and there are signs of increasing lawlessness. The US has donated the most to the relief effort, at least $70 million, and has sent military helicopters to rescue stranded people and drop off food and water. “So far, if anyone has practically given us maximum help, it is America,” Gilani said Saturday when a Pakistani reporter suggested the US has done little since the crisis started. Meanwhile, a British report said that more than 300 million pounds of aid to help rebuild parts of Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake was diverted to other projects. The Daily Telegraph newspaper, citing unnamed senior Pakistani officials, said there were fears this diversion of funds would put off foreign donors from giving money to help 20 million people currently affected by heavy floods.
