Pakistani Government Faces Growing Criticism Over Flood Response
VOA News 04 August 2010
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is urging authorities to speed aid to the more than three million people affected by floods that have devastated entire communities in the northwest.
Mr. Gilani met with his Cabinet Wednesday to discuss the floods that have killed 1,500 people and now threaten the provinces of Sindh in the south and central Punjab.
The session comes as Pakistani leaders face growing anger over what residents say is a slow government response. Many have also questioned President Asif Ali Zardari's decision to continue a trip to Europe during the disaster.
Pakistani army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas rejected the criticism Wednesday, telling BBC News that weather was hampering rescue and relief efforts. More than 30,000 people have been rescued from flood-hit areas by the Pakistani army in the last three days.
Forecasters are predicting more monsoon rains as international aid groups struggle to reach affected areas where roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been washed away.
The World Food Program says nearly two million people are in need of food assistance, with rising water levels destroying crops in the northwest and threatening farmland in Punjab. United Nations officials have also warned that hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of diseases from contaminated water.
In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton outlined U.S. aid that has already been dispatched and announced a program in which Americans can contribute to the relief effort.
Clinton says the United States has pledged $10 million in aid, deployed humanitarian experts and sent helicopters to deliver supplies including pre-packaged meals. The U.S. government has also provided water purification units and temporary bridges.
The U.N., Britain and Canada have also committed millions of dollars in aid to Pakistan.
Islamist charities, some with suspected ties to militant groups, also have stepped in to provide aid to flood victims.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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