[SatNews] Word has come that Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) has been in Pakistan since August 9th, and a team member deployed to Multan, Province of Punjab to provide ICT support to the newly set up inter-agency office. This is the base and coordinating centre for OCHA and the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination teams among many of other UN agencies such as WFP, FAO and UNDP. This assignment is expected to last for a week.

TSF continues to coordinate with the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) as per further needs for ICT support to aid agencies.

In parallel, TSF is coordinating with NGO-partner YRC to provide free calling service to those affected by the floods. These operations should start on Friday in the most affected area, the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (ex-North West Frontier Province). Teams will first be deployed in the districts of Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera until needs in these districts are covered.

As many affected families are sheltered in schools these will be a priority. The UN said today that 3.5 million children in Pakistan are at risk from deadly waterborne diseases, as fresh protests erupted over the slow delivery of aid in the flood-ravaged country.

The warning comes a day after the UN reported the first case of cholera and its secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, urged the world to speed up aid efforts to tackle what he said was the worst natural disaster he had ever seen.

Teams could also be deployed along roads and in other locations where people are sheltered and operations possible. If needs are covered in the respective districts, teams will operate in other flood-affected districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These operations could last up to one month to offer the chance to as many families as possible to make calls, give news and ask for dedicated assistance.

There will be eight teams composed of one man and one woman to allow both men and women to make a call. They will be equipped with satellite and GSM phones. Three Social Organizers will also be recruited to inform the population of the service in the areas surrounding the operations in order so that a maximum number of people affected are aware of the service and given a chance to call.

UN officials say the floods are now covering an area the size of England with up to 20 million people affected. At least 1,600 people have been killed, with health officials warning the toll could rise as water-borne diseases spread.

As floodwaters continue to swell in Sindh and Balochistan, evacuation of populations residing in vulnerable areas is underway – most notably from Jaffarabad in Balochistan and Jacobabad in Sindh. This is likely to result in additional needs for assistance in both provinces.

Support for TSF's mission in Haiti is provided by the United Nations Foundation, Vodafone and the Vodafone Foundation which has allocated £50,000 to the relief effort in Pakistan supporting the Disasters Emergency Appeal in the UK.