Every day, millions of flood-affected people gather whatever scarce energy they have to carry out their daily chores in places far, far away from Pakistan’s urban centers. Four months after apocalyptic floods submerged one-third of Pakistan, standing floodwaters continue to pose a major challenge for those affected, particularly in Sindh and Balochistan.
According to the most recent UN report, an estimated eight million people in Pakistan are still potentially exposed to floodwaters or live in flood-prone areas. Rainwater is expected to flow down the Indus through Sindh.
However, the process has been slow, and the government has not taken any significant steps such as digging and dredging to allow water to drain quickly. Furthermore, residents in the worst-affected districts—Badin, Benazirabad, Dadu, Jaffarabad, Jamshoro, Kambar, Khairpur, and Mirpurkhas—are unsure what they will do when the weather turns cold.
The UN has also stated that as temperatures begin to fall, the problems of flood-affected people will worsen. According to the UN, more than 20 million people continue to rely on humanitarian aid, with approximately 2.6 million people receiving food assistance so far. This stagnant water is not only bad for the environment; it is also bad for the health of people who are already under a lot of stress.
Children’s and women’s health is jeopardised because the majority of them are malnourished and can barely withstand the onslaught of deadly diseases. Floodwaters destroyed any sanitation facilities the locals had, and now open defecation raises the risk of disease outbreaks. And, because the floodwaters will take some time to recede, no construction or rehabilitation work can begin.
People are living in makeshift tents while authorities assist them in surviving the year’s worst disaster. Children are forced to skip school. So far, only 125,000 children have received assistance in resuming their studies. Schools for nearly two million children are still inaccessible.
The flood-affected people were already living in precarious conditions, and now they must deal with a slew of new issues, such as food insecurity. Medical experts are also concerned that the condition will cause a large number of under-vaccinated or unvaccinated children to go unnoticed. According to the WHO, if floodwaters are not drained and health facilities are not restored on a priority basis, over 500,000 children may go unvaccinated. Pakistan took center stage a month ago at a climate conference attended by the world’s wealthiest.
The country’s delegation was successful in obtaining approval for a loss and damage fund for rehabilitation efforts. So far, Pakistan has received $816 million, or 23% of the budget approved under the Flood Response Plan.
It is past time for the federal and provincial governments to take decisive action to bring the affected people back to life. They are already struggling to pick up the pieces left by the floods; it is the government’s responsibility to assist them in rebuilding their lives.
