Islamabad

Amid widespread floods, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday approved a USD 3 million grant to support Pakistan's emergency relief efforts.

The grant, financed from the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund (APDRF), will help fund the immediate purchase of food supplies, tents, and other relief goods to support flood victims across the country.

APDRF is a special fund designed to fast-track grants to ADB developing member countries affected by disasters triggered by natural hazards.

More than 6.4 million people in Pakistan are in dire need of humanitarian aid as the devastating floods continue to wreak havoc in the country, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

Over 33 million people are estimated to have been affected by the floods with more than 1,000 deaths reported and about 1,500 injured. Almost half a million people are currently in relief camps.

Heavy rains across Pakistan have triggered flash floods, landslides, and glacial lake outbursts. In July, the country received more than 60 per cent of the average annual monsoon rainfall in just three weeks.

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As districts in Pakistan continue to be affected by massive monsoon rainfall and unprecedented levels of flooding, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of significant public health threats facing affected populations, including the risk of further spread of water and vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.