FIRST CHOLERA CASE HITS PAKISTAN AS FLOODS HIT 20 MILLION

PAKISTAN'S Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said yesterday 20 million people had been affected by the worst floods in the country's history as the UN confirmed the first cholera case.

Independence day celebrations were cancelled as floods continued to bring misery to millions and aid agencies warned of a ''second wave'' of deaths from disease.

''The floods affected about 20 million people, destroyed standing crops and food storages worth billions of dollars, causing colossal loss to the national economy,'' Mr Gilani said in a televised address to the nation.

''I would appeal to the world community to extend a helping hand to fight this calamity.''

The United Nations has appealed for ($513 million) to deal with the immediate aftermath of the floods, but charities say the figure falls far short of what is needed.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was due to arrive in Pakistan late yesterday to discuss the relief effort and visit flood-hit areas.

''This is the worst-ever calamity for us and the entire nation will have to show courage to face it,'' Mr Gilani said.

''I am pretty confident that the nation will once again emerge victorious from this crisis.

''Outbreak of epidemics in the flood-hit areas is a serious threat, which can further compound the already grave situation.''

''There has been at least one cholera confirmed case in Mingora,'' said Maurizio Giuliano, spokesman for the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs, referring to the main town in the north-western district of Swat.

Mr Giuliano said at least 36,000 people were reportedly suffering from acute watery diarrhoea.

''We're not suggesting that everyone who has acute watery diarrhoea has cholera, but cholera is certainly a concern and that's why we're stepping up our efforts to treat cholera,'' he said.

Charities said relief for those affected by the worst natural disaster in Pakistan's history was lagging far behind what was needed.

''There are millions of people needing food, clean water and medical care and they need it right now,'' said Jacques de Maio, head of operations for South Asia at the International Committee of the Red Cross.

''Clearly at this point in time, the overall relief effort cannot keep pace with the overall scale of the emergency,'' he said.

Humanitarian agencies in Pakistan were monitoring the risk of ''a second wave of deaths induced by the floods in the shape of water-borne diseases'', Mr de Maio said, adding that it was impossible to measure the full scale of the disaster.


The embattled leader has come under fire from flood victims and the opposition after pressing on with a trip to Europe last week, despite the mounting emergency.



The United Nations believes 1600 people have died in the disaster, while Islamabad has confirmed 1343 deaths.

UN officials warn that the damage to infrastructure and the economy will put volatile Pakistan back years.

With up to 2 million people requiring emergency shelter and 6 million depending on humanitarian assistance to survive, troops distributed national flags among the people in the flood-hit north-western town of Nowshera yesterday.