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Devastating Floods in Pakistan Could Worsen Food Security in Afghanistan, Warns UN
Devastating Floods in Pakistan Could Worsen Food Security in Afghanistan, Warns UN
Sputnik International
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has described the floods as the “worst in the country’s history.” Pakistani authorities have further estimated that... 03.09.2022, Sputnik International
2022-09-03T07:27+0000
2022-09-03T07:27+0000
2023-02-14T06:57+0000
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The United Nations-backed World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the floods in Pakistan could have "ramifications" for food security in Afghanistan, as most of the food aid to the central Asian nation is sent via Pakistan's road network.Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has claimed that around 5,000 kilometers of roads have been washed away due to flooding. The NDMA has said that 1,208 people have been left dead and over a million homes have been destroyed by the floods, which have had a major impact on the Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces as well as the Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.Kaye said that Pakistan provided a “vital supply route” to Afghanistan, with a significant amount of food aid bound for the central Asian nation entering the region through the Karachi port.Kaye explained that the humanitarian agencies delivering aid to the two nations were presented with a “major logistical challenge” as Pakistan’s road network has been severely impacted by the floods.Kaye also noted in the briefing that the WFP procured over 320,000 metric tons of food last year to support operations in Afghanistan, but the floods in Pakistan have put a “huge dent” in the organization’s capability to deliver that aid to intended recipients.Kaye also expressed concern over the flooding of Pakistan’s wheat fields, which has further jeopardized the food security in the Afghanistan-Pakistan (Af-Pak) region.The ominous warning by the WFP official comes as Afghanistan already faces a precarious food security situation, owing to efforts by the US to cut off the country from the global financial system in the wake of the Taliban storming to power in Kabul last August.In February, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order freezing around $7 billion of Afghan central bank funds held in US-based financial institutions.The WFP has said that around 22.8 million Afghans, or around half of the overall population, faces “acute food insecurity,” which is on the rise owing to a crippling shortage of funds.
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pakistan, floods, afghanistan, world food programme (wfp)
pakistan, floods, afghanistan, world food programme (wfp)
Devastating Floods in Pakistan Could Worsen Food Security in Afghanistan, Warns UN
07:27 GMT 03.09.2022 (Updated: 06:57 GMT 14.02.2023) Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has described the floods as the “worst in the country’s history.” Pakistani authorities have further estimated that around 33 million people, or 15 percent of the population, have been affected by the floods, which have also left around a third of the country submerged.
The United Nations-backed World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the
floods in Pakistan could have "ramifications" for food security in Afghanistan, as most of the food aid to the central Asian nation is sent via Pakistan's road network.
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has claimed that around 5,000 kilometers of roads have been washed away due to flooding. The NDMA has said that 1,208 people have been left dead and over a million homes have been destroyed by the floods, which have had a major impact on the Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces as well as the Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
"We’re becoming very, very concerned about overall food security, not only in Pakistan in the immediate and medium term, but also for what it’s going to imply for the operations in Afghanistan," WFP Pakistan director Chris Kaye told reporters from Dubai in an online briefing on Friday, as per AFP.
Kaye said that Pakistan provided a “vital supply route” to Afghanistan, with a significant amount of food aid bound for the central Asian nation entering the region through the Karachi port.
Kaye explained that the humanitarian agencies delivering aid to the two nations were presented with a “major logistical challenge” as Pakistan’s road network has been severely impacted by the floods.
Kaye also noted in the briefing that the WFP procured over 320,000 metric tons of food last year to support operations in Afghanistan, but the floods in Pakistan have put a “huge dent” in the organization’s capability to deliver that aid to intended recipients.
Kaye also expressed concern over the flooding of Pakistan’s wheat fields, which has further jeopardized the food security in the Afghanistan-Pakistan (Af-Pak) region.
The ominous warning by the WFP official comes as Afghanistan already faces a precarious food security situation, owing to efforts by the US to cut off the country from the global financial system in the wake of the Taliban storming to power in Kabul last August.
In February, US President Joe Biden signed an
executive order freezing around $7 billion of Afghan central bank funds held in US-based financial institutions.
The WFP has said that around 22.8 million Afghans, or around half of the overall population, faces “acute food insecurity,” which is on the rise owing to a crippling shortage of funds.
