The UK has announced an additional £1.2 million (45.4 crore PKR) in anticipatory flood response for Sindh, bringing its total humanitarian assistance in Pakistan to £2.53 million (95.8 crore PKR). This support aims to provide life-saving assistance to over 400,000 people and helps communities prepare ahead of predicted floods. The funding is being deployed to NGOs in Sindh to strengthen early warning systems, facilitate community evacuations, identify vulnerable households, pre-position essential supplies, protect livestock, and prepare evacuation centres, all of which aim to safeguard lives and reduce damage before disaster strikes.
British High Commissioner Jane Marriott emphasized the critical importance of early preparation, noting that every dollar spent on prevention can save up to seven dollars in response, while also protecting lives and avoiding destruction. This anticipatory funding complements a previous £1.33 million (50.36 crore PKR) announced on 22 August, which supported early response and relief efforts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Gilgit-Baltistan. That funding facilitated the provision of dry food rations, search and rescue operations, mobile medical camps, rehabilitation of drinking water systems, restoration of irrigation channels, and support for livelihoods and agriculture.
Additionally, the UK has contributed £500,000 (18.9 crore PKR) to the Start Ready Disaster Risk Financing system in Pakistan, benefiting 20,000 people across Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This system anticipates and mitigates the humanitarian impacts of future flooding, complementing both early response and preparedness measures to strengthen community resilience.
