MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th July, 2023) The European Commission said Tuesday it would provide 16.5 million Euros ($17.9 million) to help Pakistanis affected by conflict and the worst floods in the country's recent history.
"With this new funding, we will continue to support people in need in Pakistan, including refugees and asylum seekers. The funding will also help to ensure a renewed disaster preparedness investment in the country," Commissioner for Crisis Management Janes Lenarcic was quoted as saying in the Commission's statement.
Of the total funds, 15 million euros will be allocated to humanitarian agencies in Pakistan to provide food aid, shelter, water and sanitation and support to Afghan refugees. The other 1.5 million euros will be spent on disaster preparedness programs, the statement read.
Pakistan is also facing the consequences of the Afghan humanitarian crisis, hosting some 3.7 million refugees, including 1.6 million undocumented Afghans, the Commission added.
"The EU has allocated over ��136 million in humanitarian assistance for Pakistan since 2016 and has been supporting the country since the 1990s, offering support in the wake of major disasters such as the 2005 earthquake and the 2010 and 2015 floods," the Commission concluded.
As a result of the monsoon rains and floods that began in June 2022 in Pakistan, more than 1,700 people died and more than 12,000 were injured. In total, more than 33 million people were affected by the floods. At least 2 million houses were damaged and more than 1 million livestock were killed.
The United Nations said that about $16.3 billion would be needed to rebuild homes, roads and other infrastructure in the flood-hit areas. Islamabad will finance half of this amount from its own resources.
