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EU grants US $7 million for drought victims

The European Union (EU) in Islamabad on Thursday announced it had granted the equivalent of US $7 million extra in humanitarian aid to victims of drought in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, EU sources told IRIN on Friday. The commitment by the EU’s office for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) follows an earlier grant this year of almost US $5 million in response to the immediate needs caused by the drought. Activities to be undertaken include the provision of tents and emergency kits to drought-affected internally displaced people (IDPs), as well as additional resources to stabilise communities in their area of origin, allowing those affected to survive the harsh winter months until the next harvest. According to a press statement, the already difficult living conditions in Afghanistan have worsened and the lack of food and drinking water associated with poor hygiene and population displacements have increased the risk of epidemics and starvation. While conditions in Baluchistan and Thar in Pakistan were said to be increasingly difficult, with 95 percent of the population living below the poverty line, conditions in drought-affected areas of Sistan and Baluchistan in Iran where many Afghan refugees were staying was extremely poor. The EU would continue to monitor the situation and respond according to needs, the statement said.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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