The United Kingdom has announced an additional Rs45.4 crore in anticipatory flood response funding for Sindh, bringing its total humanitarian assistance to Pakistan this year to Rs95.8 crore.
The support aims to protect over 400,000 people nationwide from the devastating impacts of seasonal flooding, says the press statement issued on Thursday from British High Commission in Islamabad.
With heavy floods predicted to hit Sindh imminently, the new package will be channelled through non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to strengthen local preparedness. The funding will focus on early warning systems, community evacuations, identifying vulnerable households, pre-positioning essential supplies, livestock protection, and preparing evacuation centres.
British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriott CMG, OBE, stressed the importance of swift action. “Sindh is in a critical window to prepare and reduce the impact of the upcoming floods. For every dollar spent on prevention, up to seven dollars are saved in response. More importantly, lives are saved, and destruction is avoided,” she said.
This announcement follows the UK’s Rs50.36 crore package unveiled on 22 August, which supported early response and relief in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan. That earlier assistance covered food rations, search and rescue operations, mobile medical camps, rehabilitation of drinking water systems, restoration of irrigation channels, and livelihood support.
Additionally, the UK has provided Rs18.9 crore through the Start Ready Disaster Risk Financing system, benefitting 20,000 people across Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This mechanism enables communities to anticipate and mitigate humanitarian impacts before disasters strike.