Officials in Pakistan raised concern Wednesday over the spread of waterborne diseases among thousands of flood victims as waters from powerful monsoon rains began to recede in many parts of the country.
Some doctors said initially they were seeing mostly patients traumatized by the flooding, but are now treating people suffering from diarrhea, skin infections and other waterborne ailments in the country’s flood-hit areas.
The development has forced the government to deploy additional medical teams and dispatch medicine besides providing clean drinking water to survivors, many of whom are living in tents and makeshift homes.
The warning came a day after record-breaking floods prompted the United Nations to formally issue an appeal for $160 million in emergency funding to the impoverished Islamic nation, where about a million homes have been damaged or destroyed.
Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, health minister in the country’s worst-affected province of Sindh, said officials have set up 4,210 medical camps in the province’s flood-hit areas to treat victims now suffering from skin and waterborne diseases, which are common during floods.
The World Health Organization began aiding Pakistani authorities in their efforts to treat people injured in the rains and flooding. The agency said in a statement it was working to increase surveillance for acute diarrhea, cholera and other communicable diseases to avoid their spreading further, and is also providing medicine and medical supplies to health facilities. “WHO is working with health authorities to respond quickly and effectively on the ground,” said Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the WHO representative in Pakistan. “Our key priorities now are to ensure rapid access to essential health services to the flood-affected population, (to) strengthen and expand disease surveillance, outbreak prevention and control, and ensure robust health cluster coordination.”
Authorities said waterborne diseases among flood victims are now common across the country. “Initially we received injured people, but now diarrhea is common,” said Farhad Khan, a physician in charge of a medical camp set up in the northwestern town of Charsadda. It is one of the worst flood-hit districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, where floods killed 257 people since mid-June.
Kamran Bangash, a government spokesman in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said with evacuations wrapping up, officials are now focused on providing food and clean drinking water to flood victims. “We fear the outbreak of the waterborne disease in flood-hit areas,” he told The Associated Press.
He said hundreds of people have contracted such illnesses in various parts of the province. “In recent weeks floodwater badly affected hundreds of thousands of people. We don’t want them to again suffer; this time due to non-availability of clean water and it can be avoided,” Bangash said. Meanwhile, the nationwide death toll from the catastrophic floods Wednesday reached 1,191 as the flood waters from the north breached the banks affecting over one million people in Dadu district of Sindh. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), more than 3,500 people have injured so far since June 14. Around 87 people were injured, while 27 were killed during the past 24 hours.
The water level is rising in the Main Nara Valley (MNV) drain in Khairpur Nathan Shah and Johi talukas which are located at a distance of 8km from Dadu city. It is feared if the water level continues to rise in the MNV drain, Dadu city will be severely impacted. Pakistan has received nearly 190 percent more rain than the 30-year average in the quarter through August this year, totaling 390.7 millimeters (15.38 inches). Sindh was hardest hit, getting 466pc more rain than the 30-year average. Flash floods surging out of northern mountains have swept away homes, businesses, infrastructure and crops. The government says 33 million people, or 15pc of the 220 million-strong nation, have been affected.
Colossal volumes of water are pouring into the Indus River, which flows down the middle of the country from its northern peaks to southern plains, bringing flooding along its length. Main roads raised above the fields have become a refuge where people with their bundles of belongings try to shelter from the sun and rain under plastic. Farm animals seek safety with their owners. Meanwhile, flash floods also damaged the Karakoram Highway and bridge at Kohistan on Wednesday, blocking the passage of large vehicles and causing a shortage of petroleum goods and wheat in Gilgit-Baltistan, officials said.
The closure of the Karakoram Highway affected the transfer of wheat to the region. Separately, Kashif Husain, a member of the Petroleum Dealers’ Association Gilgit-Baltistan, said the closure of the Karakoram Highway had stopped large oil tankers from entering the region, which has led to a shortage of fuel at some petrol stations. However, small oil tankers continue to arrive but they were still not enough to fulfil demand, Husain added. In Gilgit, many petrol pumps have been closed due to the inadequate supply of petrol and diesel, creating difficulties for the citizens. A resident of the city working at a private company, Mumtaz Ahmed, said he could not find flour at any shop and had to get it from relatives. He added that the finer variety of flour currently available in the market “causes stomach-related issues for the elderly” which is why he does not use it. He added that he could not find any flour at any local mill. According to him, he had even tried using personal contacts to procure some flour but failed to obtain it.
Abdur Rehman, a Gilgit local, said he did not have flour at his home for the past four days, adding that the shop he procured it from did not have milled flour due to its shortage.