There is a need to devise a long-term strategy to lessen the damage caused by the recurring floods every year by relocating people as the donors cannot help the affected people again and again, said Caritas Internationals Secretary General Michel Roy.
While addressing a press conference on Monday he said that need of the hour was to work towards community preparedness. The climate across the glob is changing and communities have to be prepared to reduce the risk in case of any disaster, he said.
He said that floods were the natural disaster which could not be controlled but what could be done is to make long-term strategies to deal with such disasters. We have donated one million rupees to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to devise a strategy for community preparedness against floods, he said.
He said Caritas Pakistan has so far distributed 700 food packages and tents in Sindh and Punjab besides establishing free medical camps. Caritas is committed to continue its humanitarian services until the affected population is rehabilitated completely, he said.
Caritas Pakistan, a member of the Federation of Caritas International, was established in Pakistan in 1965. The organisation has always been in the forefront to respond to emergencies, be natural or man-made disaster.
Michel Roy said that during 2010 floods, the secretary general said that the disaster was the worst in the history of Pakistan that affected nearly 20 million people all across the country.
In total Caritas Pakistan has supported 48,232 families in the relief phase through its seven offices across Pakistan. The humanitarian organisation served the affected community by supplying food items, tents, kitchen sets, beds and bedding, buckets, blankets, jerry cans, plastic sheets, water, hygienic kits, mosquitoes net, water purification bottles, seeds and fertilizers.
On completion of one year of the devastating floods of 2010, Caritas Pakistan has also published a memoir named Restoring dignity that provides a detailed account of the efforts of the organisation as well as the experiences of the people working with the affected community and the views of the partners along with the case studies.
Caritas National Director Bishop Coutts said, From relief to recovery, it is our duty to continue supporting the people who have been badly affected by floods.
Caritas Executive Director Amjad Gulzar, on the occasion, said that Caritas was donating 1.9 million Euros for this year flood relief activities. We have provided food items to 14,473 families, non-food items to 40,365 families, tents to 25,544 families, hygiene kits to 21,810 families. Besides that 62,098 patients have been treated in medical camps, 3,530 livestock has been administered vaccination, 928 persons have been given seeds and fertilizers and 1360 families have been given warm clothes and bedding, he said.