By Our Staff Writer- 16^th-22^nd Aug 2010

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday called for rapid delivery of assistance for millions of people in flood-stricken Pakistan after seeing the devastation for himself.Mr. Ban arrived in the South Asian nation to demonstrate the support of the United Nations and the international community in the wake of what has been called the country’s worst disaster in living memory.  The floods have so far claimed more than 1,200 lives and left at least 2 million homeless.

“I am here to see what is going on.  I am here also to urge the world community to speed up their assistance to the Pakistani people”; the Secretary-General told reporters on his arrival.

An estimated 14 million people have been affected by the floods which began late last month in the wake of particularly heavy monsoon rains.  The floods have destroyed homes, farmland, and major infrastructure in large parts of the country especially in the north-west province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK).

Before touring the affected areas by helicopter, Mr. Ban met with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and expressed the solidarity of the UN with the Government and people of Pakistan.  He also offered immediate and long-term support.

Last week the UN and its partners announced they are seeking almost $460 million to help Pakistan tackle the needs of flood-affected families.  That amount would buy food, clean drinking water, tents and other shelter and non-food items as well as medical supplies for the affected people.

“We have a huge task in front of us to deliver all that is required as soon as possible.  The death toll has so far been relatively low compared to other major natural disasters, but the numbers affected are extraordinarily high. If we don’t act fast enough, many more people could die of diseases and food shortages”; UN humanitarian Chief John Holmes stated at the launch of the floods response plan.