Peterborough charity raises £22K in hours for Pakistan flood relief

A woman goes through her belongings as she clear her house, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Nowshera, Pakistan

Some £22,000 has been raised in hours for those who have lost their homes and possessions in the Pakistani floods.

Peterborough charity, Children of Adam, said the cash was given in just three hours towards food, tents and medicines.

The monsoon season brought heavier rains than normal to Pakistan, submerging more than a third of the country.

Some 33 million people have been affected, the United Nations said.

Peterborough has a large number of citizens of Pakistani origin, and like other British Pakistanis, are trying to help people and relatives hit by the floods.

Shujah Saklain, co-founder of the Children of Adam charity in Peterborough at a bake sale to raise money for flood victims in Pakistan

Shujah Saklain, co-founder of the Children of Adam charity, in Peterborough, said they had been providing help since June, when the rains first started.

"It's our duty to help," he said.

"Amongst the Muslim community in Peterborough, when it comes to charity, they give. They give wholeheartedly and they've never let us down."

Mr Saklain said Pakistan was prone to flooding - but not to this extent.

"Nobody thought it would get to the level it is right now, it's a humanitarian crisis," he said.

The charity worker said with winter on the horizon, the help required would be long-term.

"There's loads of events coming up so we can get more funds and get some more assistance to the people there," he said.

Children of Adam is a charity that normally focuses on feeding Peterborough's homeless, as well as running sports clubs and giving support to refugees.

Abdul Choudhuri said help would be needed in Pakistan for a "long time" such was the severity of the floods

Abdul Choudhuri, chairman of the Faizan e Medina Mosque in Peterborough, said it had raised £10,000 and was hoping to build on this sum.

He said the majority of people of Pakistani origin in Peterborough were not from the flooded areas, but wanted to help.

"It's a terrible situation," he said. "These people have no homes, their businesses, their animals, their crops, everything has been destroyed.

"That is the reason as a human being it is our responsibility... that's what the teaching of Islam is, to help people."

Fifteen UK charities, including the British Red Cross and Oxfam, are asking the public for donations to protect lives as waters carry on rising.