After the floods: returning home in northern Pakistan
How UKaid funded relief packages have helped families move back to their villages
Izzat Khan and his 2 children in their rented house. Picture: ActionAid
Relief packages, funded by UKaid from the Department for International Development, are helping families in northern Pakistan resettle in their homes.
Izzat Khan had no warning about the floods that were about to sweep through his village.
With no TV or radio to alert him to the unfolding disaster, he and his family didn바카라 사이트t have time to save their belongings or to avoid the ice cold water.
바카라 사이트In the evening we were home and doing our usual chores,바카라 사이트 says Izzat.
바카라 사이트Suddenly the boundary wall started to shake, and before I knew it, it collapsed and a big flash of water gushed into my house.
바카라 사이트We got hold of our children and ran outside. Village people helped us get to a safe place and from there we walked to my uncle바카라 사이트s house.바카라 사이트
Izzat Khan바카라 사이트s wife, Khapay Rai, slipped into the knee-high water as she tried to escape.
바카라 사이트I was shivering, out of fear and cold,바카라 사이트 she says.
바카라 사이트I thought I was going to drown in the water. I was worried for my husband and young children. Thank God the village people helped us otherwise we wouldn바카라 사이트t have survived.바카라 사이트
No boundary wall, no possessions
A week after the major flood, Izzat, Khapay Ria, 2 year-old Summaya and 3 year-old Salman returned to their home.
All of their possessions had gone or were covered in thick mud. The boundary wall had been completely washed away and food stocks, cooking pots, bedding and clothes had all been lost.
To help them resettle in their home, Izzat and Khapay Ria were given a relief package containing cooking oil, a wheat bag, pulses, sugar, biscuits, pots, pans, soaps and bedding.
UK aid, from the Department for International Development, funded the relief packages via the Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies (CBHA). The packages were distributed by ActionAid in Upper Swat, an area which was badly affected by the flooding.
바카라 사이트We received Atta (wheat), oil and cooking pans, so at least we were able to eat something,바카라 사이트 says Izzat.Â
바카라 사이트We use the wheat sparingly; we don바카라 사이트t want to run out too soon.바카라 사이트
Rebuild and restore
The floods have had a massive economic impact on the country - agricultural land, crops, livestock and small businesses have all been severely affected.Â
Before the floods, Khapay Rai provided for her family by stitching and sewing clothes for people in the village. But her sewing machine was washed away when the water swept through her house.
바카라 사이트The flood took away my scissors, threads and sewing machine,바카라 사이트 she says.
바카라 사이트My father gave me the sewing machine in my dowry - now that it is gone, I worry how I will make a living.
바카라 사이트Earlier my husband would find occasional work in the city, such as offloading goods from trucks, cleaning tables at nearby tuck shops and helping manufacture Jala (local boats). Now I fear there won바카라 사이트t be any work for a long time.바카라 사이트
The UK aid funded relief packages have helped Izzat and Khapay Rai and other families in Upper Swat to resettle in their villages. But they will need continued support in order to rebuild and restore their livelihoods as the floods subside.
Facts and stats
Although some families are starting to return home in northern Pakistan, around 1.8 million houses have been destroyed or damaged by the floods and parts of southern Pakistan are still under 4 feet of water.
Around 21 million people have been affected by the floods and 12.5 million are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance.
CBHAÂ is a consortium of 15 British NGOs including ActionAid, Action against Hunger, CARE International UK, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, HelpAge International, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Merlin, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.