Pakistan: green shoots of recovery in 50°C

26-07-2011 Photo gallery

Many flood-stricken communities of northern Sindh province feel their problems have been largely forgotten. Almost a year has passed since they were hit by devastating floods and, with the arrival of aid supplies by the ICRC and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, it is only now that they are able to think seriously about re-occupying their land and planting the summer rice crop. The ICRC's Sitara Jabeen visited the site of the first agro distribution now under way in Garhi Khairo.

- With its vast brown plains and green bushes, Garhi Khairo – a subdivision of Jacobabad District in Sindh Province – is located in the centre of Pakistan. The area is unique as the hottest spot in South Asia, where the mercury can rise above 50°C. The terrain may be dry, but before the destructive floods of 2010, agriculture was the main occupation of the local population.
  © ICRC / J. Ahmed
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage
- Nearly a year since the worst of the floods, life in Garhi Khairo is inching back towards normality, though most of the houses remain damaged and floodwater is still evident.
  © ICRC / S. Jabeen
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage
- An enormous quantity of fish, both large and small, came with the floodwaters that inundated Garhi Khairo. As the high daytime temperatures have speeded up evaporation of the floodwater, leaving a string of stagnant ponds, dead fish can be seen everywhere. On top of the many hardships already endured by the human population, the stink of decay is just one more burden.
  © ICRC / J. Ahmed
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage
- Equally at home on either rough roads or tracks, donkey carts remain the oldest and most common means of transport in Garhi Khairo, carrying both people and goods – a real asset at all times.
  © ICRC / J. Ahmed
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage
- Life after the floods has little to offer, and for many people, children in particular, the future is uncertain. With homes, livestock and food reserves washed away or severely damaged, the non-existence of schools in the area is currently of little concern for most of the population.
  © ICRC / S. Jabeen
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage
- Sindh province – renowned for its sweet mangoes and dates – is even more special for its hospitable people. When we arrived at the house of Mai Pari in the village of Allahabad, the welcome was spectacular. Despite the scorching heat, the family received us with cheerful smiles that touched the heart.
  © ICRC / J. Ahmed
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage
- Mai Pari is a very brave woman. A mother of six and widowed many years ago, she raised her four sons and two daughters (all now married) alone by growing rice and selling milk from her buffaloes. Before the floodwaters arrived, Pari lived with her grandchildren in the ancestral compound, sharing the house with her youngest son's family.
  © ICRC / J. Ahmed
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage
- Pari told us that she and her neighbours were alerted only two hours before the massive flood struck their village. The family fled leaving most of their belongings behind. A wall of water over two metres high inundated the villagers’ houses causing most to collapse. Pari’s family now lives in a self-made, makeshift shelter which also houses their animals.
  © ICRC / S. Jabeen
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage
- The ICRC was the first international organization to enter the partially inundated Garhi Khairo, which was only possible two months after the floods struck in August 2010.
  © ICRC / J. Ahmed
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage
- In partnership with the Pakistan Red Crescent, the ICRC has twice distributed food and basic relief items to more than 224,000 flood victims in Garhi Khairo. Now the partners are distributing seeds and tools to 28,000 families to help them restart their abandoned farmlands.
  © ICRC / J. Ahmed
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage
- No sooner had the ICRC arrived at the aid distribution point than people began to appear. Under a cloudless sky and blazing sun, the supplies of rice seeds, fertilizers and agricultural tools were quickly set up and distributed to a lively crowd eager to resume their farming activities.
  © ICRC / J. Ahmed / v-p-pk-e-01247
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage
- Working tirelessly at the centre of the aid distribution, ICRC team leader Nishad Butt kept his colleagues motivated in the oppressive heat. When asked how he coped with the harsh conditions, the Kashmiri mountaineer replied with gleaming eyes: "I spent 16 years of my life in a refugee camp when my family moved from the Indian side of Kashmir. I know what it is to be a victim – and that gives me everlasting motivation.”
  © ICRC / J. Ahmed
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage
- Pari and her youngest son also came to collect their share of the delivery of aid supplies, and after their bags were stacked in the lorry, she and her neighbours headed home.
  © ICRC / J. Ahmed
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage
- Cheerfully withstanding the peak midday temperature, the excitement among the people at the arrival of the aid convoy was astounding. The aid supplies were seen as seeds of hope. With the arrival of summer irrigation waters from the Indus River in a few weeks’ time, the first steps towards the future will be taken.
  © ICRC / J. Ahmed / v-p-pk-e-01249
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage
- Nishad helped a great deal in compiling the stories of the flood victims, since the people of Garhi Khairo are mostly illiterate and understand only the common spoken language. Consequently, Nishad’s team and the Pakistan Red Crescent volunteers had a very tough time in explaining the details to aid beneficiaries – just one of the numerous challenges they have been dealing with for the past ten months. As the sun dropped towards the horizon, and with it the blooming sunflowers of Garhi Khairo, I left, marvelling at the resilience of its people and the incredible spirit of the frontline humanitarian workers.
  © ICRC / J. Ahmed
See also :
- One year after catastrophic floods, thousands still affected, News Release, 25.07.2011
- Record floods and armed violence - a devastating combination one year on, TV news footage

Pakistan: green shoots of recovery in 50°C

26-07-2011 Photo gallery

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