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Pakistani Government Faces Growing Criticism Over Flood Response

04 August 2010 22:10 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. 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, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€.

Mr. Gilani met with his Cabinet Wednesday to discuss the floods that have killed 1,500 people and now threaten the provinces of Sindh and 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.

Forecasters are predicting still 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. U.N. officials have also warned that hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of diseases from contaminated water.

The U.N., United States, Britain and Canada have all pledged millions of dollars in aid to Pakistan. The U.S. is also sending military helicopters from Afghanistan to assist in relief efforts.

The Pakistani army has rescued more than 30,000 people from flood-hit areas over the past three days.

The U.N. refugee agency said it has delivered 10,000 tents with other relief supplies and is stepping up its assistance to provide shelter for hundreds of thousands of homeless people.

Islamist charities, some with suspected ties to militant groups, also have stepped in to provide aid to flood victims.