A NEWPORT nurse has shared his experience of volunteering in Pakistan in response to devastating flooding.
George Inayat, 54, spent 20 days in Karachi helping friends and family who have lost their homes, and has now told of the devastation he’s seen.
Monsoons have left around a third of Pakistan under water, affecting more than 33 million people and killing more than 1,000 people.
The UK government has now pledged an extra £10 million of support, meaning it has now committed a total of £26.5million in humanitarian aid.
“Having seen the devastation with my own eyes, it was very, very terrible,” said Mr Inayat. “People have lost everything. It was emotional for me every day.
“Everything has been destroyed or washed away by these dreadful floods.
“The death toll could be considerably higher than reported because so many communities live remotely and the damage has not been fully assessed.
“There is less emphasis on being able to swim in Pakistan, so many people have drowned to death.
“Others have had houses collapsed and now have no place to stay or access to safe drinking water or food.”
According to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Agency, two million houses have been destroyed or damaged, with 546,000 people now living in relief camps.
The disaster has also damaged or destroyed 12,716 km of roads, 22,000 schools, and 745 health centres.
“Getting around was hard because the railway and road systems have disintegrated due to the floods with tracks coming undone and being washed away,” said Mr Inayat.
“Normal life has been disrupted in every sense, with workplaces and schools suspended.
“The most heart-breaking thing I saw were all of the child deaths – innocents who had their whole life ahead of them. It was very devastating to hear these tragic stories.
“Medical services in Pakistan are unreliable in most places and there is not enough to logistically cope with the added demand the floods have put on the healthcare services.
“People in Pakistan are uncertain for their futures. How will they rebuild their houses and how do they put food on the table? Crops have been destroyed, animals drowned. I do not know how they will restore their lives.”
Speaking about why he volunteered to offer help, Mr Inayat said: “I felt strongly I should go over to show communities that they are not abandoned, and the world knows what has happened.
“I just went to see for myself and hopefully offer comfort to my friends and family who are so stressed. I was helping them out of my pocket.
“I wish I had millions and millions to help but I am a nurse so what I can do to help was limited, but it was still important for me to go and try to make a difference, no matter how small.
“The Government of Pakistan appears to be struggling greatly to respond to this overwhelming crisis, so it is important that countries like the UK and America are helping with life-saving support.
“So much help is needed.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office minister for South Asia, Lord Ahmad, announced the additional support on Friday as he visited Pakistan.
“The UK continues to help the people of Pakistan recover from the recent devastating floods,” he said.
“Our support will help to tackle the spread of waterborne diseases and to improve access to clean water, sanitation, medical care and shelter across the country.
“We are working night and day with Pakistan and our international partners to ensure that UK aid reaches the hardest hit areas.”
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