UAE: Flood-affected Pakistani delivery riders get cash relief

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Pakistani expat Muhammad Saqib lost his father in the recent floods in his home country. Another expat, Mohammed Asif’s family lost their entire batch of wheat crops which was meant to feed them for a year.

These expats are among the delivery riders identified by a popular delivery service company in the UAE to receive a cash bonus to help with the process of rebuilding their lives after the unprecedented flooding in Pakistan.

Deliveroo has awarded 14 Pakistani riders, who have been directly affected by the floods, a bonus to help relieve their burden. Most of them have lost their homes and livelihoods and are looking at a lengthy road to recovery.

Unprecedented monsoon rains since mid-June, which many experts have linked to climate change, and subsequent flooding have killed 1,545 people across Pakistan, inundated millions of acres of land and affected 33 million people. On Saturday the WHO raised the alarm of a “second disaster”, as doctors and medical workers on the ground race to battle outbreaks of waterborne and other diseases.

“The bonus has helped me buy urgent necessities like clothes and basic food for my family,” said Dubai-based rider Haji Mohammed, whose family’s property has been ruined. “We were also able to purchase a small amount of crops which we will plant once we get rid of all the water around the property.”

The southern Sindh and southwestern Balochistan provinces have been the worst hit — hundreds of thousands in Sindh live now in makeshift homes and authorities say it will take months to completely drain the water in the province.

Mohammad Saqib who lost his father in the floods plans on travelling back to Pakistan soon. “My family is quite devastated with the passing of my father, and it will take some time for things to get better,” he said.

“I am planning a trip to Pakistan soon so I can support them in person. The bonus I got has been very helpful to support the expenses of repairing damages caused to the walls and roof of my home.”

The UAE has been supporting the millions who have been displaced in the country due to the floods. Hamad Obaid Ibrahim AlZaabi, the UAE’s ambassador to Pakistan, had earlier told Khaleej Times that there were volunteers on the ground 24x7 to ensure that help was reaching those who needed it the most.

Mohammed Osama, whose family has been living with relatives since their house was washed away in floods, said that the bonus was a big relief for him. “The support we have received back home has been limited due to the large amount of people that were affected by the floods,” he said.

“Thanks to this bonus, I was able to buy some immediate necessities like food and clothes for my family. The remaining money will go to start rebuilding our home and support their other expenses until we can move back into our home.”