Canada to allocate $3.8M for humanitarian assistance to Pakistan over floods

Canadian authorities will allocate 5 million Canadian dollars ($3.8 million) to provide humanitarian assistance to Pakistan, which was hit by floods caused by heavy monsoon rains, reads a statement by the Canadian Foreign Ministry, Report informs referring to the Canadian government website.

"Pakistan has experienced heavy monsoon rains and floods since mid-June, causing the deaths of over 1,000 people and affecting the lives of 33 million people across the country. To support the international response to this emergency, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, today announced $5 million in funding for humanitarian assistance," reads the statement.

Canada’s support will help scale-up the humanitarian response to provide critical emergency assistance, including food and cash assistance for the most severely affected people. The funding will support the work of trusted and experienced partners on the ground.

The funding announced today is in addition to Canada’s existing support provided through the Emergency Disaster Assistance Fund and its contributions to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.

Over the past three months, Pakistan has experienced 375.4 mm of rainfall, nearly 3 times higher than the country’s average amount. As heavy rains have continued over the past 2 weeks, flooding and landslides have caused massive displacement, damage and devastation.