Developed by BBC World Service Trust and Internews, the
new 'infoasaid' service will transmit lifesaving information to the hundreds of
thousands of people currently cut off from emergency aid efforts and most at
risk.
BBC Urdu will transmit six daily bulletins in Urdu (at
local times at 12.30, 15.30 and 18.30) and Pashto (at 12.45, 15.45 and 18.45)
providing vital information including how to stay safe, avoid disease and
access aid.
With much of the region's transport and communication
links destroyed, the service will plug a critical gap in delivering information
in the immediate aftermath of the disaster using one of the only media channels
still available - radio.
As part of an increasingly nationwide response, the
programs will be broadcast on up to 34 BBC partner stations, reaching over 60
million people.
Director of the BBC World Service Trust, Caroline Nursey
says:
"This humanitarian crisis is growing every day and
is now on a huge scale. Very often it is the simplest information such as where
to get food or how to avoid diseases that can save thousands of lives. This is
what lifeline programming will deliver."
Infoasaid is funded by UKaid from the Department for
International Development. Minister of State for International Development,
Alan Duncan says:
"As flooding continues to cause destruction and
suffering in Pakistan, many will find themselves cut off from family, friends
and home. While of course not everyone will be able to access a radio, this is
a proven way of reaching as many people as possible when no other means of
communication are available.
"The lifeline radio program is another great example
of potentially lifesaving innovation from the BBC World Service Trust,
providing essential emergency advice and information on staying healthy and
accessing food and shelter, to help those affected cope with the immediate
effects of this disaster."
Infoasaid is coordinating its response through UNOCHA and
humanitarian agencies in the region. The project's goal is to improve how aid
agencies communicate with disaster affected communities. The emphasis is on the
need to deliver information, as aid itself, through the most appropriate
channels.