Pakistan needs $840 mn for rehabilitation: UN

By IANS,

Islamabad : Pakistan needs around $840 million to meet the requirements of 7.2 million people affected by floods and insecurity, the UN said Sunday.

The "Early Recovery Framework" programme launched jointly by the UN and the government in February includes building resilience against future crises by developing early warning systems and constructing homes which will withstand natural disasters, Online news agency reported.

Insecurity in the northwest Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has led to the displacement of millions of people in recent years, most of whom have returned to areas declared safe by the government and are working to rebuild their lives, the UN said.

"However, since January 20, 2012, a further 200,000 people have fled security operations in Khyber Agency alone, increasing the total number of people displaced from FATA to 700,000," it said.

John Ging, Operations Director of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), during a three-day visit to Pakistan, discussed efforts made by the government in Sindh and Balochistan to help over five million people recover from the devastating floods of 2011.