Concerns over disease raised in Pakistan flood aftermath

Concerns over disease raised in Pakistan flood aftermath

When the tidal wave hit Rahimyar Khan in the southern part of the Punjab province, Pakistan, it ripped everything away – communities, homes, and livelihoods.

The people in the region have retreated to dams which are kilometres long and wait for help there. There's water to the left, there's water to the right. The villages have been destroyed completely.

The fields are still flooded. The muddy water sticks to the mango trees. At least 90 percent of the working population earned their living with agriculture, such as sugar cane, cotton, rice and mangos. What was once a fertile landscape is now suffocated by water and masses of mud.

A large number of goats and cows, which represented the basic income of many people, have died in the floods. Only some of the water buffalos survived. The people still depend on food packages which are being distributed by Caritas. Too many children still do not get enough or nothing to eat.

"The hygienic conditions for the people are disastrous. The children suffer the most. Almost all of them have skin diseases, their bodies are covered in insect bites and they are malnourished or suffer from diarrhoea. Good medical and hygienic care is urgently needed," said Monika Kalcsics of Caritas Austria.

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Pakistan Flood Update 2 September

Just saw this show on Live with Talat. Two docters talked many health issues which flood affectees are facing (specially in southern Pakistan). Some of these are listed below:

• Lack of water for drinking, washing, etc. People are drinking and washing with the same water causing many diseases and health issues.
• People were poor and barely meeting their nutritional needs in normal times. This flood has made things many times worse.
• Pregnant women are facing a hard time due to a lack of food, facilities, etc. Post-pregnancy problems are common and very hard to deal with.
• There is a lack of women health workers who can meet the needs of many women who have special needs.
• Water purification tablets are being mis-used or not used at all as people cant read the intructions or are not being told effectively on how to use these.
• There is inconsistency in aid distribution and even when people get food, they dont eat it as they dont know when the next batch of food will arrive causing further problems.
• The lack of concern from most politicians is appalling as these flood affectees are the same people who voted the current batch of "leaders" in. There needs to be leadership shone in these areas to organize coordinate and distribute the efforts effectively.

It is very humbling and moving to watch these TV shows which are talking about the Flood affectees. May Allah help us help them to the best of our abilities.