MULTAN - The passion the nation exhibited to rescue and rehabilitate the victims of 2005 earthquake is missing this time, as empty flood relief camps speak volumes of public distrust in the government and other donation collectors. Although the camps set up by NGOs and public departments have surfaced like mushrooms in different areas of Multan to collect funds, food, tents, medicines and other daily use items for the flood affectees, their empty bellies reflect masses cold response. 'Weve seen the fate of donations we made for earthquake victims. Now we prefer to spend with our own hand, said a citizen Azeem Khan while talking to this scribe during a survey conducted to locate the reasons behind empty camp. A report recently published by Daily Telegraph also points out the same issue, saying that the people are reluctant to donate money because they are not too sure the money will be spent honestly. According to a careful estimate, the recent flooding has so far affected 20 million people besides ruining crops, property, livestock and communication infrastructure worth over Rs500 billion in Pakistan. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has appealed to the international community to donate generously keeping in view the scale of devastation and calamity. The Daily Telegraphs report claims that aid worth more than 300 million pound given by the international community to Pakistan for reconstruction of areas devastated by the 2005 earthquake was spent elsewhere, expressing the fear that this will put off foreign donors from giving money to help flood-hit people. The govt has also sensed this problem as the Premier Gilani declared during his recent visit to Multan that the government would get disaster assessment done through World and Asian Development Banks to improve the credibility of claims. 'This strategy might work to befool international donors but they (rulers) cant trap us this time. We know how they collect donations and then transfer them to their own accounts, Mr Khan added. On the other hand, the careful behaviour of international community also shows that it will keep check on utilisation of aid funds and goods. The Consul General of US Consulate Lahore Carmella Conroy has already hinted at distribution of US aid through NGOs and UN agencies. During her ongoing visit to flood-hit areas, she told the journalists on Sunday that the US would launch flood relief operation through 'organisations with good record for helping people. Similarly, Syrian ambassador to Pakistan brought a consignment of aid goods on a C-130 to Multan and handed it over to the Red Crescent Society while Saudi Ambassador also personally visited Multan with a dispatch of aid goods. The survey further revealed that the citizens also adopt the same strategy as they personally approach camps with cooked food, water bottles, packed milk and other items and distribute them among the flood-hit people. 'We know this practice will not make a big difference in the condition of affectees but, at least, were satisfied that our donation is properly utilised and not embezzled, said one Aziz Qureshi, who was distributing milk packets among the flood affectees. He was of the opinion that the areas devastated by the earthquake could have been reconstructed five times with the donations given by the nation. 'But go to Kashmir and other areas and see with your own eyes. They still present the view of war-ravaged haunted areas. God knows better where they (rulers) spent entire aid money, he maintained.