TOBA TEK SINGH, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- Massive rains and subsequent flooding in Pakistan has claimed the lives of thousands of people and left 2.5 millions homeless across the country.

People going through the flood waters in Baluchistan Province

Thousands of villages have been submerged into rivers and millions of houses, roads, bridges, as well as standing crops and livestock, have been swept away.

All of the five provinces of the country have been badly affected and the National Pakistan Disaster Management Authority and Meteorological Department have declared it, “the worst disaster in the history of Pakistan and bigger than the 2005 earthquake.”

The chief ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab provinces, have declared the affected districts, as “calamity hit areas.”

The government of Pakistan has appealed the international community, NGOs and charity groups to help Pakistan to support the relief and rehabilitation work.

The Pakistan Army and various groups have been deployed to help the government to search out and help stranded people to get to dry places.
 

A mother with her child after devastating rains and floods

However millions are still trapped and an acute shortage of drinking water, food has been reported. Diseases have been broken out in the affected areas and desperate people are waiting for help under the open sky.

To make matters worse, more rains and flooding has been forecast.

Pakistani Christian ministries, churches and nonprofit organizations are planning to support the affected people with relief work and by organizing prayer services for the flood-hit people.

ANS spoke to different individuals and groups about their flood relief programs.

Ahsan Sadaqat, manager for the Disaster Response program of the Ravi Foundation, a nonprofit organization which I had the privilege of founding, said that the foundation is planning to support at least 5,000 families who live along the Chenab River with rations and medication and also the foundation will be providing food for livestock. For more information on this, go to: http://sites.google.com/site/ravifoundation/massive-flood-in-pakistan

Requests have been made to international friends and organizations to support this urgent relief work.

Our organization had worked during the Pakistan earthquakes of 2005 and 2008 and it was then that we set up a Relief Donation Fund for future catastrophes, such as this one.

People have been donating eatables and clothes, but now the flooding is so massive, that without the kind support of international community, the victims cannot be helped with the necessary desperately needed aid.

“Pakistan has already been facing a severe economic crisis, and now this has been made worse since the vegetable and fruit producing areas have been affected and prices have gone sky high,” said Ahsan Sadaqat.

“These price hikes have affected all the commodities of life. Therefore, there is slow turn out to donate here for the affected by the Pakistani people who are so affected by the cost of food.”

Rasheed Jalal, Chairman of Living Hope Ministries Pakistan (www.living-hope.org.uk/pakistan), said, “Living Hope Ministries has been continuously praying for the flood-affected people. All the church networks and groups not just here, but also around the world, are requested to pray and contribute as much as they can to help the suffering people, including Christians and Muslims. Volunteers of Living Hope Ministries are collecting ration, clothes and other necessities of life,” Rasheed Jalal said.

He added, “It is time to share the love of the Lord with suffering people.”

Asma Naz, director of Bless Pakistan (www.blesspakistan.webs.com), a Christian organization, said, “We are working to glorify God in Pakistan. The organization has planned to start immediate relief work for women and children because they are the most vulnerable among the affected.”
 

Ariel view of the flooded areas

Mr. Sadaf Saddique of Good Shepherd Ministry (www.gsmpk.org), said, “I cannot explain how strong Christian believers in their faith. Despite the series of persecutions and the killings of Christians, they have love and solidarity with their fellow countrymen. The Good Shepherd Ministries has joined other groups to support the affected people.”

Mr. Akbar Masih, Director Sermon and Song Ministries Pakistan (www.sermonandsongministries.org) , said, “Stranded people in the flooding cannot be seen. Women and children are starving and crying for food and help. We have heard of the deaths of seven family members in Sialkot and we were heart broken. Our ministry has joined the prayer call.”

ANS has learned that the United States government has pledged US$10 million in aid, while China, the UK, Australia and other countries, have also announced relief aid. The US had pledged to distribute over 62,000 meals via a US airlift.

Christian women, youth and children have fervently requested ANS to convey their appeals to the international Christian brothers and sisters to support suffering those Pakistan.

ANS sources have discovered that among that amongst the 2.5 million people affected by the floods, there are about 30,000 are Christians who are still waiting for emergency relief.

Ashfaq Fateh, 38, studied civic and human rights, at Pakistan's leading University, the Aga Khan University in Karachi. He has been working to promote peace, human rights and particularly for Christian's rights. He has also been working against the discriminatory laws prevailing in Pakistan. His wife, Rafia Salomi, is serving as deputy director for Society for Human Development, popularly known as Human Development Center, an icon of Christian's rights in Pakistan since 1984.