Food shortage triggered in flood-hit areas

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ISLAMABAD: Tens of thousands of villages in Pakistan are still under water. With most of the crops flooded, severe food shortages are faced by the entire country. The waters have wiped out 17 million acres of desperately needed crops. The food shortages in the near future will be the worst for a country so poor - Pakistan is dependent on foreign aid to get by even in the good years. Eight million of the 20 million flood victims have yet to see any aid. Angry citizens complain that their government is failing them by not getting them food or transportation. Thousands of flood affectees in four districts of Jaffarabad are awaiting aid under open skies. They have lost their homes and are now leading their lives without basic necessities. Commissioner Naseerababad Naseebullah Khan said that almost 10 million from Jaffarabad and Sindh have taken refuge in Dera Murad Jamali. The flood victims of Dera Murad Jamali are facing food scarcity as the land link between Jacobabad and Dera Allah Yar has been suspended for the past seven days due to disruption in communication links. The isolated Gilgit-Baltistan region is also hit by acute fuel, medicine and food shortage due to the blockage of the Karakoram Highway for the past three weeks. Landslides and rain-triggered floods destroyed several bridges in Gilgit-Baltistan, cutting off the entire region from the rest of country. Seven districts are severely hit by shortages of medicine, petroleum products and edible items. The prices of food items skyrocketed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where floods and torrential rains have wreaked havoc. The people of Peshawar are faced with severe difficulties in purchasing vegetable and meat, due to sharp and high increases in price. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has directed authorities to ensure adequate food supply for flood victims, and improve communication links. PM Gilani called for storage of more edibles on an urgent basis to avoid food shortage during the upcoming extreme weather conditions. He said the government's priority was to provide shelter to those who had lost their homes. The Prime Minister said the federal government would provide thousands of tonnes of food to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and announced compensation for the families of those who had lost their lives or property in the floods. Rains and floods not only damaged roads, crops and bridges, but also led to serious food shortages and price hikes.