Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | U.N. Warns of Pakistan Food Shortage by Zahid Hussain

U.N. Warns of Pakistan Food Shortage by Zahid Hussain

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Aug 5, 2010   modified Modified on Aug 5, 2010

The United Nations warned Wednesday that a food shortage could threaten the lives of thousands of people trapped in floodwater in northwestern Pakistan as six U.S. army helicopters joined the relief effort.

A U.S. embassy spokesman said four CH-47 Chinook and two UH-60 Blackhawk utility helicopters arrived in Pakistan Wednesday as part of the U.S. government's continued assistance to Pakistan for humanitarian-relief operations.

Bad weather and fresh rain hampered helicopter flights, which are the only means of ferrying relief supplies to some remote areas in the Swat valley and Kohistan districts. Relief organizations said Wednesday that food supplies could not reach the Swat valley and several other areas cut off after infrastructure and communications links were destroyed. Dozens of bridges and roads were washed away by the water.

Amjad Jamal, a spokesman for World Food Program, said at least 1.8 million people urgently need regular food supplies. "People have lost their food stocks and crops and they have no means to obtain supplies," he said. The loss of farm produce is one reason for the serious food shortages, the U.N. has warned.

Millions of people who earlier were forced from their homes in the Swat valley by fighting between the army and Taliban militants now find themselves in the midst of another calamity. Analysts and security officials say they fear the disaster could affect the campaign against militants who are still active in the region.

On Wednesday, Taliban militants struck in Peshawar, killing a senior police officer who was involved in the campaign against the Taliban, as well as three other individuals.

Police said a suicide bomber on foot blew himself up when the car driving Sifwat Ghayur, the regional commander of the Frontier Constabulary, stopped at a traffic signal in the city's main commercial area, Mr. Ghayur, his guard and two others died in the incident. The insurgents have proved resilient despite recent setbacks due to the military crackdown.

Floodwaters Wednesday ravaged hundreds of villages in Pakistan's Punjab province, killing dozens and destroying thousands of homes.

Aid workers warned that bloated rivers would soon surge into the country's south, and said Pakistanis should prepare for more evacuations.

An army spokesman said about 30,000 people have been rescued from the submerged areas in south Punjab. At least 47 people have been killed in the province, according to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority.

Nearly 1,000 villages have been affected and about 15,000 houses destroyed in the province, U.N. officials said. The rush of muddy water over river banks in Punjab threatened to destroy vast stretches of crops that make the province Pakistan's breadbasket.


The Wall Street Journal, 4 August, 2010, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704741904575409193496744622.html?mod=WSJINDIA_hpp_MIDDLESecondStories


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close