Over 7 million people have been affected by flooding in the southern Pakistani province of Sindh, according to Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Pakistan is struggling to deal with floods in the southern portion of the country, which were caused by monsoon rains. Sindh province is the worst affected.
In an address to his cabinet on Wednesday, Gilani said all available resources will be allocated to dealing with the floods, according to state-run Radio Pakistan. He said the government’s finance ministry will unseal $1.5 billion Pakistani rupees (U.S. $17 million) to aid flood victims.
“The floods have not only caused severe infrastructure damage but also affected the livelihood of millions of people,” said Gilani as quoted by Radio Pakistan.
On Tuesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) ramped up its distribution of food and supplies like tents to displaced families.
The UNHCR estimates that more than 200,000 families are in need of urgent shelter.
Pakistan is still recovering after last year’s floods, which submerged more than a fifth of the country, and displaced around 20 million people while causing more than $10 billion in damage.
Since late August of this year, the current floods have damaged or destroyed nearly a million homes, mostly in Sindh.
Pakistani officials have called on the international community to step up their aid before the floods get worse. Last week, the U.N. World Food Programme said it is providing half a million food rations to affected people.
