![]() Talking about the recent floods, he said the climate catastrophe in Pakistan could not be defined in words, as one-third of the country was underwater and one in seven Pakistanis were affected. Speaking on the occasion, Bilawal called for translating the decades of goodwill and cooperation between Pakistan and Germany into synergetic partnership for benefit of the two peoples. But we have together succeeded allowed hundreds of Afghans to escape the country and move them to safer places smoothly,” she added. “Without you as our partner it would not have been possible to get so many Afghans out of the country. “Pakistan plays a very important part for the stability in the region in particular with regard to Afghanistan. In Pakistan the GIZ is working on behalf of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Federal Foreign Office, the European Union and the Dutch and French governments.The minister also appreciated Pakistan’s positive role in bringing stability in the region, particularly in Afghanistan. ![]() In the last few months he has also been helping with Pakistan’s reconstruction efforts. Hans Steinmann has been the Principal Adviser of GIZ's Health Sector Support in Pakistan for two years. Politics and how the government presents itself is a completely different story but that is what influences the international community. I can only talk about our work with other organizations, where cooperation is relatively good. What can you say about that?įor political reasons I don't want to generalize. This is something the international community is disappointed about. International aid does not seem to be organized very well nor has it been as effective as it could have been. At least when it comes to the provincial government, I believe we are working together well. The working conditions are generally not great in the country there are restrictions that we have to follow. We have been working there for years and have thus been able to develop a special relationship. How cooperative is the Pakistani government? Drinking water is still a huge problem in Pakistan and it is going to get worse with the next monsoon. That would ensure that everybody has clean water to drink. ![]() But we have tried to expand our efforts by working with other groups by, for example, setting up water treatment facilities in the towns that can be used by everyone. ![]() Of course that is not enough, as many more people still need help. If you count five people per family, that means we have reached around 50,000 people. We have been able to reach about 10,000 families with our water filters. We have been working with others – civic groups, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and other UN entities – and trying to coordinate relief and distribution efforts. Many different aid organizations have been active in distributing aid in Pakistan since the flood. Have you been able to reach all of the affected regions? The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has distributed water filters and mosquito nets. Reconstruction work is coming along very slowly in these provinces. The distribution of relief is ok but not optimal. There is a shortage of food as a result, but no real food crisis. Many people there are still homeless they live in camps and cannot work their fields because much of the land still resembles a swamp. These provinces were partly covered with water until April or May because there was no drainage system. ![]() Further south, like in the Punjab and especially in Sindh Province, it is another story. People are back in their houses but many of the dwellings are still covered with tarps as their roofs are have not been replaced. Reconstruction work is underway, but it will take a while for everything to get back to where it was before the flood. Crops are being planted and people have moved back into their villages. In northwestern Pakistan life is pretty much back to normal. Hans Steinmann: I can't speak for the whole of Pakistan in general. What is your assessment of the areas that were hit? DW-WORLD.DE: It has been one year since the terrible flood in Pakistan. ![]()
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