UN says 5 million Pakistanis are at risk from floods this year 2011

About 5 million people in Pakistan are at risk from floods this year, partly due to poor reconstruction and the inadequate rehabilitation of survivors who are still reeling from last year’s heavy flooding, the UN said on Wednesday. Monsoon floods started roaring through Pakistan in late July last year 2010, leaving one-fifth of the country — an area the size of Italy — underwater, disrupting the lives of more than eighteen million people. The govt and aid organisations were criticised for being too slow to respond while the army, seen as a far more efficient institution, took the lead in relief operations. As Pakistan braces itself again for its annual monsoon season, which runs from late June to early September, the UN says authorities and the aid community have learnt lessons and are better prepared,even for the worst case scenario. But in general the government is still not cautious and prepared for any huge disaster as far as top political elite is concerned.