This year’s monsoon has brought another round of flooding and destruction to parts of Punjab and Sindh. Villages have been cut off from neighbouring towns and people have been marooned with no homes, no crops and no supplies after torrential rains overfilled waterways and caused breaches in drains and canals. Emergency situations have been declared in several towns, and Badin district in Sindh has been hit particularly hard. Local groups and NGOs have been reaching out to provide help. SA Relief is one of them.

Established in response to the devastating earthquake that shattered Northern Pakistan in October 2005, SA Relief has become a trusted disaster relief group that “will help coordinate, manage and disseminate data relevant to disasters in and around South Asia.” Even though it states that its core strengths involve information technology support and “forging relationships between donors and relief organisations,” the group does much more.

During the 2010 floods that displaced 20 million people, SA Relief and its local partner Offroad Pakistan collected and distributed over $170,000 for flood relief efforts. And this year, the organisation has already “adopted three camps in Badin with the support of Nishat Welfare Organisation, which already has housed 1,000 IDPs.” Together, SA Relief and Offroad Pakistan put together an initial plan to provide IDPs with cooked meals for 15 days, from August 15 – August 30.

Of course, everyone knows the crisis won’t end so soon, nor will it be over once the rain clouds disappear. NGOs had already warned that this year would also be devastating, estimating that two to five million people were likely to be affected by floods during the 2011 monsoon season.

In fact, problems stemming from the flood of 2010 have still not been fully addressed. Oxfam estimated “around 37,000 people affected by the 2010 floods are still living in camps in Sindh alone” and said “an inadequate disaster management system” would hamper relief efforts this year even if the scale of the crisis was smaller than last year’s worst-ever floods.

There are already some logistical challenges. Floodwater has hampered access to some villages, leaving only jeeps available to make it across tracts of “kacha land.” But small jeeps restrict the amount of cargo that can be carried. “Often one has to hire smaller Datsuns and drag them through water and mud,” says SA Relief. Looting is inevitable too, as villagers desperate for supplies swarm delivery jeeps like angry mobs. “It is very difficult to maintain discipline in these circumstances.”

Newsline contacted SA Relief to get details on the situation in Sindh and determine what the organisation would like to see in terms of assistance.

Founder Abdulrahman “AR” Rafiq, communications expert Sabahat Ashraf, and core organisers Dr Awab Alvi and Faisal Kapadia who are on the ground in Karachi coordinating relief work all chipped in to provide information that will help you understand what is happening in response to the floods in Sindh, and how you can help.

What health issues pose the greatest risk to flood victims at this time? 

The greatest risks come from exposure to the environment without the protection of a home, as well as from waterborne diseases that are the first to affect a waterlogged area, like Badin is now. Then there is the consumption of poorly prepared or tainted (often scrounged for) food as well as several hygiene-related issues and psychological damage, which comes hand in hand with fending for one’s family on a meal-to-meal basis.

What has been the effect to agriculture and livestock in the flooded areas? 

Several local landowners claim utter destruction of the cotton crop and severe damage to rice as well as other crops. On average, a conservative estimate puts the damage to more than 50% of all crops. Livestock has been affected less, but reports on that are patchy and still coming in.

What do people need most right now? 

Immediate needs are cooked food, shelter and medical assistance.

After meeting the immediate needs of the flood affectees, we intend to move on to the rehabilitation and resettlement of communities. The extensiveness of the project will depend on the remaining funds on hand. As of now, we have a myriad of possible projects that we would gladly share with potential donors (individuals or organisations). Potential donors can email us at [email protected].

So, will SA Relief take donations in kind, or do you prefer cash donations at this time? 

We prefer cash donations, however, if someone would like to make in-kind donations they can email us (see above). We’ll consider in-kind donations on a case-by-case basis.

How fast will donations be put to work? 

Our goal is to disburse the donations as soon as possible, ideally in a matter of days. The entire end-to-end distribution process is closely monitored by our team of volunteers, and donors can follow them via social medial and GPS channels through our sites, sarelief.com and HELP.pk.

How much will Rs2,000 (just under $25) help? 

The typical cost of a single person’s meal is 20 Pakistani rupees on the ground. Rs2,000 will feed 100 people for lunch or dinner. If translated into ration hampers, Rs2,000 will feed a family of four for one week.

What logistics problems exist in trying to reach people once the relief goods are secured?

Distribution of care packets is done by our core volunteers who come from the Offroad Pakistan group. Distribution sites are picked in advance, and partnerships with groups on the ground are forged ahead of each mission. Thus far, there have been no serious issues such as a total lack of access or dacoits.

Does SA Relief need volunteers around Sindh to help out with the relief effort? What kind of volunteers: unskilled, doctors and nurses?

We can definitely use volunteers, both skilled and unskilled. If someone would like to volunteer they are encouraged to contact us (email provided above).

What would you like the federal and provincial governments to do immediately? 

We urge the respective provincial and federal authorities to come forward and manage the relief camps, as mandated by their respective charters. We are happy to act as advisors and consultants, however, we feel that the local, provincial and federal governments need to become more actively involved. It’s not a question of resources, merely a question of managing them in a manner than yields the most benefit to the citizens. We invite the government to join us, our doors are open.

What should people do to spread the word about the crisis that is unfolding in front of us? 

We encourage people to reach out to their friends, colleagues, family, schoolmates, and bystanders and make them aware of the dire situation in Pakistan. Tell them about the 2011 flood victims who, having barely recovered from the 2010 floods, are now faced with impending suffering once again, and in silence, muted by the world.

And encourage them to donate as much as they ably can.

What is the best way to make a donation to SA Relief? 

The best way to make a donation is one of two ways:

1. Go online to sarelief.com and HELP.pk and make a credit card contribution (Visa or MasterCard) via our PayPal Payment gateway. US residents can claim their donations as a tax write-off to the Pakistan Science and Engineering Foundation (Paksef), which is the legal 501(c)(3) non-profit umbrella behind SA Relief.

2. If you are in Pakistan you can also submit payments directly to our Bank Al-Habib account. See here for details.