Why is the world not responding as Pakistan drowns?

Scant international donations to flooded Pakistan are being driven by a multitude of factors ranging from the financial crisis, donor fatigue, a low death toll and scepticism that the government can translate the contributions into effective aid, say relief workers and analysts.

The disaster, which has killed up to 1,600 people and affected around 20 million, is one of the biggest humanitarian crises in recent years - bigger than the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 or the earthquake in Haiti earlier this year, according to the United Nations. While some donations in cash and kind have been provided bilaterally or channeled via smaller appeals, only around 50% of the USD 459 million of the main U.N. appeal has been met by international donors - far less than in other recent disasters.

"It's pretty much fair to say that there has been a lot less money generated for the Pakistan floods than the other major disasters that it has been compared to, like Haiti and Kashmir earthquakes or the tsunami," said Jan Kellett, leader of Global Humanitarian Assistance, a programme that monitors trends in humanitarian financing run by British-based Development Initiatives. "For example, on day 16 after the tsunami, commitments of aid were more than USD 1.4 billion, whereas the Pakistan flooding has received USD 200 million over the same period. So there is a huge difference."

Stretching from the far north of the country to the deep south - an area the size of England, Pakistan's floods have overwhelmed aid workers and authorities since they began almost three weeks ago. Highways and bridges have been washed away, marooning hundreds of villages. Millions are now in danger of contracting diseases carried through contaminated water and insects such as diarrhoea, cholera and malaria.  Aid workers say the lack of funds has meant that only a tiny fraction of the 8 million people in need of urgent assistance have received food rations, clean drinking water and shelter. 

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