The United Nations Children’s Fund. Pakistan Floods. Early Recovery Framework – OCHA Pakistan, 2012. PDF file.
The United Nations Children’s Fund. Pakistan Floods. Early Recovery Framework – OCHA Pakistan, 2012. PDF file.
2.2 Response to date
2.2.1 Government of Pakistan response
The Government, under the leadership of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and
enlisting the logistical capacity of the Armed Forces, spearheaded the initial response to the disaster
with the deployment of rescue and relief operations. District-level authorities supported by the
Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs) of Sindh and Balochistan and NDMA initiated
an immediate response in the first days of the floods.
The Government initial response included search and rescue activities for people trapped by the
floods, and relocation of populations living in vulnerable areas where possible. Utilizing the
preparations made through the contingency planning process, locations for hosting people who had to
leave their homes had been identified, search and rescue capacities reinforced and humanitarian
communication systems devised. Mechanisms developed during the contingency planning process
were activated to alert the population of potential flooding and thus enable them to move to temporary
settlements in advance of the floods.
During the floods and in their immediate aftermath, the Governmentof Pakistan response, through
both the NDMA and PDMA, focused on life-saving activities, providing shelter, food and non-food
items (NFIs) and addressing hygiene and sanitation constraints for the affected communities.
As of 12 December 2011, the NDMA has provided an estimated 125,000 emergency shelters (tents
and shelter kits), over 2.42 million food rations, more than 9.5 million water purification tabs and 1
million hygiene and sanitation tablets. Other items distributed include blankets, mosquito nets, water
purification units and plastic sheets. The NDMA also established 33 health camps and 22 field mobile
health units that treated more than 1.53 million patients. Mosquito fumigation was also carried out in
affected areas.