National campaign raises over SR100mJEDDAH - King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has ordered that SR300 million be provided to flood-stricken Pakistan on behalf of the Saudi people, the Saudi Press Agency said Wednesday. Meanwhile, the national fund-raising campaign that kicked off Monday evening to help flood victims in Pakistan has so far raised more than SR100 million. Dr. Saeed Al-Orabi, Adviser to Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier, Minister of Interior and head of the relief campaign, said the campaign is a continuation of the Kingdom's efforts to help those afflicted by disasters around the world. Lauding the role of the Kingdom in the ongoing relief efforts, Pakistan's Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said King Abdullah's initiative for organizing a campaign for the flood-devastated country will help alleviate the suffering of flood victims. Gilani said that all efforts would be made to ensure transparency in the relief efforts so that the aid can reach the deserving. Abdul Aziz Alghadir, the Kingdom's Ambassador to Islamabad, said that the distribution of the Kingdom's donations in kind and cash would be made in coordination with the regional office of the donation campaign based in Pakistan, the Saudi Embassy and other relevant authorities in Pakistan. He said that the Saudi Development Fund (SDF) on Wednesday signed a contract with a United Nations body under which the SDF would provide $9 million worth of financial support to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Pakistan. He said the SDF has allocated $20 million for Pakistan's flood victims. UN secures more funds Nearly half the $459 million needed to fund initial relief efforts following Pakistan's worst-ever floods has been secured after days of lobbying donors and warnings that the country faces a spiralling humanitarian catastrophe, the United Nations said Wednesday. “There has been an improvement in funding. Donors are realizing the scale of the disaster,” UN spokesman Maurizio Giuliano told Reuters, “but the challenges are absolutely massive and the floods are not over.” “The size of (the area affected by) this disaster is equivalent to Austria, Switzerland and Belgium combined. That's pretty scary.” A few days ago only a quarter of aid pledged had been received, prompting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to urge donors to speed up funding. The International Organization for Migration said there were still about 700,000 households without shelter. In a possible sign of respite for aid agencies, authorities said there were signs monsoon rains could ease. “We cannot see any new (weather) system developing that could produce heavy rains,” said Pakistan's Meteorological Department head, Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry. “Now rivers on the upstream are returning to normal, but in Sindh it will take another 10 days.” Many hospitals, however, were overwhelmed and fears rose for possible epidemics of diseases and viruses such as malaria. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization says Pakistan could face food shortages if its farmers miss the sowing season, which is due to start next month.
