<strong>THARPARKAR: At least three more children died of famine in Chachro in Tharparkar on Thursday, escalating death toll to 175 in a span of 71 days while the affected people await aid from the administration. Dysfunctional and dried up tube wells, scarcity of food, lack of drinking water, diseases and the climatic change have all added up to the problems of the residents of Thar. More than 60,000 families have been deprived of wheat aid while the Sindh government ceased relief work after concluding fourth phase of aid assistance. Government? mundane efforts and tall claims alone could not fulfill needs of the affectees. The change in weather pattern with winter season setting in has also added to the miseries of Tharparkar denizens. Local authorities fear further rise in deaths if immediate steps are not taken to protect the people. The Thar desert, straddling the Indian border and one of Pakistan? poorest areas, has seen an alarming number of children suffering pneumonia or diarrhoea due to a dangerous mix of drought, poverty and poor health.</strong>
