Background
A series of floods have caused death, destruction and
misery on a scale never seen before in Pakistan. The
unprecedented flooding has affected the lives of 20
million people by wiping out their modest livelihoods
and homes, killing thousands of people. Millions of
people have been displaced into a hostile situation,
with high heat, poor sanitation and sickness at camps
and they are anxiously looking for water, food, medicines,
clothes and shelter.
The Islamia University of Bahawalpur is situated
right in the middle of flood affected area of Southern
Punjab. Therefore, it considers it's a moral and social
responsibility to help the people suffering from the
catastrophic loss. Hence as an initiative the Islamia
University of Bahawalpur launched a world wide campaign
to collect funds from local and international universities
and donor agencies for flood victims.
Previous Efforts
As an initial step of IUB flood relief strategy the
Vice Chancellor directed to open domestic and international
online bank accounts. In addition to this flood relief
camps were also installed in all the five campuses
of IUB, where donations, essential commodities, medicines,
clothing and tentage were collected. Simultaneously
the teachers and students of IUB especially from the
Departments of Commerce, Computer Science, Management
Science, Education and Social work concentrated their
efforts and time on collecting funds for the immediate
relief of the flood affectees. They visited the flood
affected areas and distributed relief goods worth
Rs 0.5 Million among the flood affectees. The Vice
Chancellor constituted "IUB Flood Relief Cell"
to collect and raise funds for flood victims and approached
donor agencies. This FRC initiated massive media campaign
through print media and internet to attract domestic
and foreign universities/ agencies to raise funds.
A special brief along with pictures and video clips
showing the plight of flood victims was also sent
to these universities/agencies. Now this Relief Cell
is working with the collaboration of the Higher Education
Commission of Pakistan, Government of the Punjab,
local government, German Organization Senior Experts
Service (SES) and local experts.
As a second step IUB immediately deposited an amount
of Rs. 1.4 million in Governor's and Chief Minister's
Flood Relief Funds, which included Rs. 1.2 million
contribution of employees from their salaries and
Rs. 0.2 million from the discretionary fund of the
Vice Chancellor.
The team of IUB Flood Relief Cell visited flood affected
areas of district Rahim Yar Khan and marked the villages
for relief activities. The Vice Chancellor noticed
a TV report where 450 FDPs were living without any
medical or health Facility. He immediately directed
the Flood Relief Cell to send a mobile medical unit
to the camp with senior medical doctor and lady doctor.
A Mobile Medical Unit of the IUB Flood Relief Cell
visited Flood Relief Camp located in Govt. Higher
Secondary School, Lar Town on Multan Bahawalpur Road.
The Vice Chancellor also sanctioned medicines worth
Rs. 50,000/-. The IUB medical team provided medical
aid to 200 patients including children, women and
old age persons during their two visits.
The Flood Relief Cell distributed food items and
medicines worth Rs. 200,000/- among flood affectees
of district Rahim Yar Khan.
The University in collaboration with the German organization
Senior Experts Service (SES) invited different foreign
experts to contribute in IUB flood relief activities.
On special request of the Vice Chancellor SES sent
Professor, Dr. Hartmut Wellerdt to assist in university
flood relief activities with the university medical
team in flood affected areas. Mr. Hartmut performed
a need analysis of the medical requirements in the
flood affected areas to cure the prevailing diseases
and control the expected epidemics and recommended
appropriate measures for rehabilitation in consultation
with IUB medical team, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan
Hospitals and EDO Health RYK. DCO Rahim Yar Khan gave
detailed presentation on relief activities in flood
affected areas. The team then visited flood affected
areas of Bhong and Rajan Pur Kalan along with the
officials of district government. Mobile Medical Unit
of the IUB along with visiting Germen Scholar Hartmut
Wellerdt also visited flood affected area of Dera
Mushir, Rajanpur Kala, District Rahim Yar Khan and
distributed relief goods among them. They made arrangements
for the special relief of the Flood affectees on the
eve of Eid-ul-Fitar and distributed flood relief goods
in the form of food items, medicines and Eid gifts
in flood relief camps of districts of Rahim Yar Khan
and Multan.
Dr. Altaf Hussain, Medical Superitendent, Bahawal
Victoria Hospital provided technical expertise in
the form of a detailed list of the medicines, medical
equipments and other necessary items to establish
the medical camps.
A team of German doctors in collaboration with IUB,
local hospitals and divisional/district administration
and Rangers agreed to work in selected villages. German
organization the SES also agreed to bring required
medicines and equipments initially, worth 6000/- Euro.
A five members German medical team including two medical
doctors and three paramedical staff members, Dr. Ritter-Pichl,
Mrs. Dr. Jaeger, Mrs. Mair, Mrs. Unterste-Bahrenberg,
and Mrs. Napierala were sent by Senior Experts Service
(SES) who worked in close liaison with the divisional
and district governments along with the university
officials and established medical camps in flood hit
areas of Bhong, Ranjanpur and Muzafar Garh District.
The Islamia University of Bahawalpur provided transport
and other required assistance to the foreign visiting
team. This team is currently working in flood affected
areas of Rahim Yar Khan district and is expected to
stay in Pakistan till early November 2010. The University
Flood Relief Cell started relief activities at Minchan
Dyke, Chachran Dyke, Rajanpur Kalan and Bhong areas
of Rahim Yar Khan District in early October after
the arrival of Germen Medical Team in the Islamia
University of Bahawalpur.
Saudi Ambassador His Excellency Abdul Aziz Ibrahim
Al-Ghadeer also visited IUB and donated $10,000 on
behalf of his wife. He also donated 8 trucks loaded
with flood relief goods and distributed them among
the flood affectees of District Rahim Yar Khan. These
goods were distributed among 62 affected families.
The Vice Chancellor has made an appeal to the philanthropists
to come forward for the help of 30% students of IUB,
who belong to flood affected areas of southern Punjab,
as they direly need the financial relief. Under the
supervision of Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad
Mukhtar annual expenditure of 4003 flood affected
students of IUB was estimated. Vice Chancellor has
made special arrangements for providing education
free of cost to these students. The total estimated
cost is calculated to be Rs. 29,37,87000/-. This estimated
cost includes educational and living expenses of these
students. So far about Rs. 1.2 Million and US $ 2400
have been donated for the proposed rehabilitation
initiative and medicines worth Rs. 0.3 Million for
the treatment of the flood victims. FRC has provided
medical assistance to over 2000 flood victims so far.
IUB is making all efforts to meet the needs of the
area.
Post Flood Rehabilitation Activities
Recently, a meeting of the Vice Chancellors was held
under the chair of Chancellor/Governor Punjab, Mr.
Salmaan Taseer at Governor House, Lahore for Post
Flood Rehabilitation Campaign-Suraj. The Islamia University
of Bahawalpur would contribute in the campaign by
constructing 20 houses in flood hit areas of Rahim
Yar Khan District. Campus Director Rahim Yar Khan,
Prof. Dr. Shakir Ali Ghazali has been nominated as
Incharge of the activity by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar,
Vice Chancellor, the Islamia University of Bahawalpur.
A number of students of the IUB will be involved in
this construction effort.
