United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced concern about the ongoing flooding in Pakistan that has killed some 230 people and left more than 300,000 others homeless.

In a statement Thursday, Mr. Ban said he was especially worried about the situation in southern Sindh province — where people are in urgent need of food, shelter, safe drinking water, and access to health services.

Mr. Ban commended the Pakistani government's response to the latest crisis and reiterated U.N.'s continued commitment to supporting Islamabad in its efforts to address the needs of the more than five million people in the affected areas.

Sindh was also badly hit during last year's devastating floods in Pakistan, which killed more than 1,700 people and submerged one fifth of the country.

The United Nations World Food Program said it is rushing aid to the area, after Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani appealed to the international community for help.

Earlier this week, disaster management officials in Pakistan said the recent floods destroyed or damaged some one million homes and inundated nearly two million hectares of farmland.