Ambassador briefs about assistance for flood affected people
Zubair Qureshi
Ambassador-designate of Denmark Jakob Linulf on Wednesday hosted a small briefing at the Embassy of Denmark for journalists and introduced the members of Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) team that arrived in Islamabad a day earlier and is now on its way to Sindh to visit the flood-devastated areas and provide the local communities with much-needed clean drinking water.
While explaining further the DEMA’s team leader, Erik Breum-Christensen said as per the requirement, we shall install these plants in Sindh’s flooded areas allocated by the government and will hopefully start operation from Monday. This will continue for one month and we have a target of providing 3 million litres of water during the next 30 days.
DEMA’s Water Purification (WP) he said had the capacity to produce up to 120,000 litres of clean water per day providing drinking water in early emergency phases for approximately 40,000 people daily. It can be deployed with a tap distribution system, power supply diesel purification and fuel storage, etc. Recently, we worked with this capacity in Mozambique (2019), Indonesia (2018) and Sri Lanka (2015). Since it works in an early emergency phase, all operational cost is covered by DEMA and doesn’t burden the affected country. According to another member of the team Soren Larsen in total a 10-member team will carry out the water purification operation. So far, three of them have arrived and “the rest will join us in Sindh.”
Earlier while welcoming the media persons Ambassador Jakob said, “Denmark has extended an offer for immediate relief assistance to Pakistan and the Pakistani people who are going through this devastating crisis.” He also conveyed his government’s condolences for the victims of the flash floods (currently more than 1,300). Our thoughts are with their relatives and the many affected and displaced here in Pakistan (approx. 33 million people), said the new ambassador-designate who arrived from Shanghai last week.
Ambassador-designate said, Denmark has supported the UN’s humanitarian flash appeal for Pakistan with US$1.33 million (10 million Kr) to the UN Refugee Organization, UNHCR. This funding is provided in addition to our core annual funding to UNHCR’s work in Pakistan and the region of US$6.7 million USD (50 million Kr) UNHCR has already started their aid work and with our support they can expand their efforts. Their focus is particularly on emergency relief-providing tents and blankets – and protection of vulnerable groups, including women and children.
