Reports of massive corruption, looting of flood relief to Pakistan from Washington serious, says US

On Tuesday, the United States responded to reports of massive corruption and looting of Washington’s relief aid to Pakistan after devastating floods across the country. The US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that this is something Washington takes “very seriously” and they are also taking regular updates from their partners regarding the ongoing work.

“This is something we take very seriously, not only in Pakistan but anywhere around the world where American taxpayer dollars are implicated and when there is an urgent humanitarian interest at stake, which is clearly the case, in terms of the response to the flooding in Pakistan,” said Price.

The spokesperson also noted that the USAID works with local organisations that have extensive knowledge about the areas affected in Pakistan and their populations, “We also are required to provide regular programme updates on the progress of activities and any security concerns, and we require them — our partners — to immediately report any potential diversions, seizures, or losses immediately,” said Price, according to a report by ANI.

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Additionally, USAID staff also make regular trips to monitor the ongoing programmes in the field, said Price, addressing the steps taken to monitor and ensure adequate tracking mechanisms in the context. He added, “We have what's called a DART — a Disaster Assistance Response Team — and their members travel to more than 10 flood-affected districts in Balochistan, in Sindh province.”

This was done between September 14 and September 27, to assess the humanitarian conditions and response activities and to make sure they are meeting the humanitarian need, indicated Price. According to the state department, this year, the US provided at least $56.5 million in flood relief and humanitarian assistance and an additional $10 million in food security assistance to Pakistan.

ALSO READ:Catastrophic floods will drive up to 9 million Pakistanis into poverty: World Bank report

Pakistan witnessed massive floods which wreaked havoc in the country and led to the loss of lives and infrastructure. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) at least 1,700 people have died, as of September 30 and more than 12,800 have been injured since June.

The report indicated that more than two million houses have been damaged or destroyed and more than 7.9 million have been displaced due to the floods, said the Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMA) of various provinces affected.

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