UN to make another appeal for donations to Pakistan: WFP official

A six-member delegation led by Ramiro Lopes da Silva, the deputy executive director of the World Food Program (WFP), met the Sindh chief secretary on Saturday at the Sindh Secretariat to discuss the food issues due to the floods in the province.

Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Muhammad Qasim Soomro, and others also participated in the meeting that discussed the latest statistics on food security and nutrition in Sindh The chief secretary informed the WFP delegation that Sindh had been an exporter of rice, but due to the rains and floods this year, the rice crop in the province had been badly affected and rice would not be sufficiently available for domestic consumption.

Dr Azra said flood victims were being given ration bags by the government. “There is a dire need to focus on nutrition needs of pregnant women and children up to two years of age in these areas,” she said, adding that the supply of drinking water in the flood-affected areas was also being ensured with the help of international organisations. The WFP deputy executive director said the United Nations would launch a fresh appeal for another $800 million for Pakistani flood victims on Tuesday as the initial $160 million appeal was insufficient to meet the country's needs.