Tents where people are seeking shelter after being flooded for a second time in Sindh, Pakistan. © CARE/Theo Alexopoulos

Just one year after an unprecedented flood affected 20 million people, a second wave of flooding threatened lives and livelihoods in Pakistan last August.

Sindh and Balochistan, two provinces in the south and west of the country, were the worst affected. Overall, 1.8  Million houses were damaged, thousands of livestock were lost and more than 5 Million people were affected. The flood destroyed 2.2 Million acres of farmland, leaving families dependent on agriculture without food and income.

Tragically, many families had still been trying to recover from floods in 2010. Recurring flooding puts them into a perilous position. 

It took months for the water to recede.

In the immediate aftermath of the flooding, affected people urgently needed food, drinking water, temporary shelter and health care. Those who stayed in temporary shelters lacked clean water, cooking utensils as well as kitchen and sanitation facilities.

Moreover, even months after the flooding occurred, about half of the people affected still currently do not have sufficient food available. The 2011 harvest was lost, and over 70 percent have not been able to return to work and to generate sufficient income to support their families.

To respond to immediate needs CARE distributed essential relief items such as mats, kitchen sets with pots and pans, hygiene sets with soap, antibacterial items, toothpaste, brushes and shawls, as well as tarpaulins to build temporary shelters.

CARE is now supporting flood-affected communities in the longer-term. In cooperation with partner agencies, CARE is implementing cash for work to enable people to buy the food they need in the local market. This means the local economy is also strengthened.  Furthermore, CARE is distributing food vouchers and conditional cash grants for people less able to work.

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