ISLAMABAD: The French government has provided emergency equipment, water pumps, tents and 1 million euros to partner international non-government organisations (INGOs) to assist Pakistan’s relief efforts after the devastating floods which killed over 1,300 people and displaced millions.

“Following the unprecedented floods that hit Pakistan…France quickly dispatched emergency equipment and military experts from the French civil security service to the field to assist in relief operations and respond to urgent humanitarian needs,” said Ambassador of France to Pakistan Nicolas Galey.

The ambassador was speaking at a press briefing he had called to give an overview of the French assistance to flood-affected populations in Pakistan.

Breaking down the assistance provided by Paris, Mr Galey said that on September 3, a special chartered flight arrived in Karachi, carrying emergency equipment, including 83 high-capacity water pumps and more than 200 tents, as well as other non-food items, and a military medical team consisting of four doctors and four nurses, as well as a military team of four technicians to operate the water pumps.

The French medical team remained on the ground for two weeks in Badin, working alongside their Pakistani colleagues from the Badin military hospital, to provide hundreds of medical consultations each day. As for the team of trainers, it was able to train more than 50 Pakistani technicians in the use of water pumps, Nicolas Galey informed the media.

“From October 7 to November 5, 40 French civil security experts were deployed in Dadu district in Sindh to operate water purification equipment brought directly from France. The military team provided 600,000 liters of drinking water to the local communities (1,000 beneficiaries per day),” he said.

The briefing was informed that as an indication of support towards the reconstruction of flood-affected areas, France provided a 50-meter-long Bailey-type bridge that would soon be deployed by the Pakistani authorities in Sindh.

These operations were being carried out within the framework of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (EUCPM).

In a further expression of support to flood-affected communities, France allocated 1 million euros to three French INGOs for relief operations for a total of 90,000 beneficiaries in three provinces.

He said that Action Against Hunger (ACF) for an integrated project combining health, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), agriculture, food security and livelihood for close to 30,000 beneficiaries in the districts of Qambar Shadadkot and Khairpur in Sindh.

The ambassador said that Secours Islamique France (SIF) for a multi-sectoral emergency assistance to 40,000 beneficiaries in the districts of Quetta, Killa Saifullah, Pishin and Lasbela, in Balochistan. “Medecins du Monde (MDM) for the deployment of three mobile health teams, for 20,000 beneficiaries, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (districts of Nowshera, Charsadda and Chitral),” Nicolas Galey said.

According to the ambassador, the French government had also allocated 1 million euros to the World Food Programme (WFP) for an integrated Nutrition-Safety Net Programme for pregnant and lactating women in the districts of Qambar Shahdadkot and Khairpur, Sindh.

“This programme will provide emergency food assistance, life-saving nutrition preventive packages, and cash grants to 5,400 direct beneficiaries, and 32,400 household members,” the ambassador said.

“Finally, beyond public assistance, a number of French companies also contributed to support flood-stricken communities, such as Total, Bureau Veritas, and others through direct donations or contributions to non-profit organisations, to provide immediate support to rehabilitation activities,” said Nicolas Galey.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2022