By Our Correspondent
Islamabad:
The water level is receding in some flood-hit areas, however, millions of the victims of floods in Pakistan are facing yet another problem—threat of water-borne diseases.
Government officials said as many as nine more people have died from water-borne diseases in flood-hit areas of Pakistan. Meanwhile, a large number of others were under treatment which included pregnant women, children, and infants. The health experts have warned about an outbreak of infections in a crisis that the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) described as “beyond bleak”.
An intense and long monsoon dumped around three times as much rain on Pakistan than on average in recent weeks, causing major flooding which killed 1,559 people, including 551 children and 318 women, according to the disaster management agency.
This figure does not include those killed by the disease in the aftermath.
Approximately 33 million people, including approximately 16 million children, have been affected by this year’s heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan, which have brought devastating rains, floods, and landslides. Some major rivers breached their banks and dams have overflowed, destroying homes, farms and critical infrastructure including roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and public health facilities,” a press note issued by the UNICEF stated last week.
The torrential monsoon rains have triggered the most severe flooding in Pakistan’s recent history, washing away villages and leaving around 3.4 million children in need of assistance and at increased risk of waterborne diseases, drowning, and malnutrition. Hundreds of thousands of homes have been destroyed, while many public health facilities, water systems, and schools have been destroyed or damaged. Young children are living out in the open with their families, with no drinking water, no food, and no livelihood, exposed to a wide range of new flood-related risks and hazards, including damaged buildings and drowning in floodwaters.
According to media reports, hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the floods are living in the open and as flood waters spread over hundreds of kilometers start to recede, which officials say may take two to six months, stagnant waters have led to diseases like malaria, dengue fever, skin, and eye infections and acute diarrhea.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the surge in diseases has the potential for a “second disaster”.
In Sindh, the region worst hit by the floods, the provincial government said nine people died of gastroenteritis, acute diarrhea, and suspected malaria on Monday, bringing the total number of deaths from diseases to 318 since July 1.
Over 2.7 million people have been treated for water-borne diseases at makeshift or mobile hospitals set up in flood-hit regions since July 1, it said, with 72,000 people treated at these facilities on Monday alone.
Sindh govt urges people to exercise caution
In a video message earlier today, Sindh Health Minister Azra Pechuho urged people to adopt safety measures against vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue as the death toll from catastrophic floods across the country neared 1,600.
“The government is doing anti-dengue sprays across the province but there are some precautions that people need to take at home as well,” she said in a video message.
