ISLAMABAD: A recent assessment conducted by the humanitarian aid organisation has revealed that sixty per cent of families in the heavily impacted areas of Buner, Shangla, Bajaur, and Mansehra have lost their livelihoods due to cloudburst-induced floods, which have also caused significant destruction to homes and agriculture, organic food farms.
Islamic Relief is an INGO that has been working in Pakistan for the last many decades. It recently conducted an assessment in the flood-affected areas. Their assessment found that 73 per cent of houses have been destroyed or partially damaged by the raging floods. As a result, 60 per cent of people in Buner and 53 per cent in Swat and similarly in Shangla and erstwhile, are now unable to support their families. Additionally, 80 per cent of agricultural land in Buner has been affected, and nearly 50 per cent of livestock have died or been washed away as a result of the catastrophe.
The assessment also indicates that 40 per cent of households are reporting cases of diarrhoea, as water-borne diseases are spreading due to contamination from the bodies of victims and livestock, along with the destruction of sanitation facilities.
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Raza Narejo, Acting Country Director of Islamic Relief Pakistan, emphasised, “Now that the floodwaters are receding, the impact is enormous, and it will affect people here for a long time. The poorest communities have seen their jobs and income wiped out in an instant, with 60 per cent of workers in Buner district now unable to sustain themselves following the floods.”
