By Sardar Khan Niazi
The unprecedented floods have killed 1,545 people including 552 children across Pakistan, inundated millions of acres of land, and affected 33 million people. Floods have damaged 1.8 million homes nationwide, washed away roads, and destroyed nearly 400 bridges.
Pakistan with the support of the UN and partners is racing against time to help the distressed people. The worst effect of floods was on the infrastructures including health facilities.
Damaged road links blocked the movements of people and goods between different parts of the country, hindering rescue and relief activities and hampered the transportation of medicines, and halted vaccination drives in flood-hit areas.
While, torrential rains have stopped, and flood water is being drained out of cities and towns however the stagnant water is presently standing on lower terrains providing breed for mosquitoes and dangerous germs that cause malaria, dengue fever, and other infectious diseases including COVID-19 infection in certain areas.
The flood-hit people are temporarily living in relief camps and badly need necessities including pure drinking water, medicines, nutritious food, and a healthy environment.
Moreover, hundreds of thousands of breastfeeding mothers are unable to feed their children due to scarcity of food while half a million pregnant women are battling the worst effects of displacement, malnutrition, and lack of basic health and maternity facilities in the relief camps and flood-hit rural areas.
Currently, a sharp rise in the cases of dengue fever, malaria, and stomach diseases is on the rise in flood-affected areas in recent days. The government has mobilized significant resources to overcome the newest challenge by establishing dedicated hospitals for infectious diseases, and decreasing the test fee for dengue fever.
The government has also clamped down on hoarders, profiteers, and black marketers involved in hoarding and black marketing of essential medicines amid the floods that have damaged nearly 2,000 health facilities in Sindh, Baluchistan, and Southern Punjab.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been continuously alarming the Pakistani authorities about the impending epidemic. It also raised alarm about the disaster in flood-hit areas of Pakistan following the unprecedented floods, which killed over hundreds of people and submerged one-third of the country’s land.
The global health agency became deeply concerned over a wave of diseases and deaths following this climate-induced catastrophe that has severely affected vital health systems seriously hurting millions of highly vulnerable people in submerged regions.
Pakistan’s valiant armed forces and civilian administration are already battling the situation yet these efforts need more concentration and liaison with the WHO and the global community to overcome the epidemic.
The World Health Organization (WHO) director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has shown deep concern urging the donors to continue to respond generously to save more lives. Acting quickly to protect health and deliver essential health services, and reduce the impact of this approaching health crisis, different nations and global charity organizations are playing their part.
US President Joe Biden in his speech to the UN General Assembly made a fervent call for extending help to Pakistan where floods have caused huge devastation. “Pakistan is still under water, needs help,” the president told the 193-member Assembly in its high-level debate when he dealt with the adverse impacts of climate change.
PM Shahbaz Sharif in a meeting held on the sidelines of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) with the US Special Presidential Envoy on Climate John Kerry, conveyed gratitude for immediate US assistance in the wake of the devastating floods in Pakistan.
Pakistan needs continued support from the international community, not only in the immediate recovery and relief efforts but also during the subsequent reconstruction and rehabilitation phase. Pakistan thanks all for the strong advocacy of Pakistan’s flood relief action.
