Why Are Afghani Refugees Most Affected From Pakistan Floods?
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Roshan Amiri
- . September 13, 2022
- . Update: September 14, 2022 2:13 pm
Pakistani floods have devastated the lives of the common man; but has also left Afghan migrants out of place. Already displaced from their land, Afghans had been given shelter in Pakistan. Some 1.3 million Afghans are already stationed in Pakistan for over decades of conflict.
Currently, many Afghani nationals have been left stranded and without shelter as dwellings seemed to have swept in the flood waters. With billions of dollars of damage, relief and help has been flowing in from UAE and other parts of the world; but badly affected are the remote north-western province where Afghan refugees had camped themselves.
Government support is currently missing, and inhabitants are living under the mercy of nature. As winter closes in, it is imperative for them to be provided with shelter soon. Floods have most effected Afghani dwellings that are semi-permanent in nature, in many places.
The camp is in Nowshera city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on the bank of the river Kabul, which overflowed and inundated the town.
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The country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said that the current estimates state than more than 1.7 million houses have been partially or fully damaged by the flood.
Afghan refugees are not eligible for relief packages coming from government aid. This is because some of them have migrated several times, fleeing invasions and civil wars in their country, and have not had stable presence in Afghanistan.
According to the UN Population Fund, nearly 650,000 women are stranded in flood affected areas, requiring immediate maternal health services to ensure a safe pregnancy and childbirth. These include both Pakistani and Afghani nationals.
Some relief has come through the UN High Commission for Refugees and local welfare organisations, after social media activists raised a voice of concern online for Afghani refugees.
