World Bank redirects €698m to Pakistan relief

THE World Bank said yesterday it will redirect $900 million (€698m) of its existing loans to Pakistan to help in flood recovery as the UN warned that many of the 20m people affected by the disaster have yet to receive any emergency aid.

The floods began three weeks ago but the crisis could yet worsen, with authorities warning that the swollen Indus River may burst its banks again in the coming days.

Pakistan’s shaky government has been sorely tested by the disaster, which has affected about a fifth of the area of the vast country of 170m people. It comes atop a pile of other challenges, including a weak economy and a violent Islamist insurgency.