As if floods were not enough to cause large scale devastations, another catastrophe is in the making as second disaster is feared in the form of water borne disease due to stagnant floods waters inundating large areas of the country, particularly Sindh where over seventy per cent of all flood water has accumulated. 

Hospitals from the interior of Sindh has reported thousands of cases of water borne disease like diarrhea, gastroenteritis, skin infection, and dengue cases due to mosquitos which breed on floods waters inundating vast areas of the province.

That almost eighteen thousand cases of diarrhea and 20,064 skin disease and fifty cases of dengue were registered on a single day last week speaks volume of the situation in the aftermath of the devastating floods. As per available statistics, over 2.3 million people have reported the above-mentioned disease in hospitals since July when the torrential rains and floods started. Dengue and Malaria are also doing rounds and during the current month of September four persons have succumbed to dengue fever in Krachi alone. Overall, ten persons have lost lives due to vector borne diseases in Karachi this so far.  

The pathetic state of flood affected areas has also prompted the World Health Organisation (WHO) to sound alarm over what it termed an impending "second disaster" with regard to disease and death.  The WHO concern and warning over the alarming rise of water-borne infections and diseases among the flood-hit people in Sindh is enough to show where do we head after the devastating floods.

The warning, issued by WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is enough as a wake-up call to the world community to come to the rescue of Pakistan which has been facing the wrath of nature due to climate change effect despite the fact that Pakistan has contributed the least to air and environmental pollutions.  Time has come the donors should respond generously to prevent spread of diseases with a view to saving lives of the affected people. One would also appeal to Federal government to carry out a fumigation spray all over the country, particular Sindh where the disease outbreak has become certain due to the alarming rise in various water borne diseases in the province.

For this purpose, the Federal governed will have to make use of planes owned by the land departments as the current situation is out of control of the provinces and machine sprays would not make a difference. Meanwhile, the water supply to citizens is not safe after floods as water sources been polluted and it is due to water pollution that the disease onslaught is upon the citizens with various infections and viral diseases being spreading among them.  It is due to consumption of unsafe water that citizens are contracting fatal diseases like cholera etc.  

On the one hand, the patients' number is rising at alarming rate while on the other the resources are very few. Moreover, a large of health facilities have also been washed out by rains and floods across the country, mainly Sindh and Baluchistan provinces and hence an emergency like situation exists right now.

health centres across the country as also the Sindh province are flooded with stagnant rain waters and due to water inundating the large areas, it is almost impossible for the affected people to reach hospitals and health care centres. 

Moreover, we have an inadequate number of health workers who cannot cater to the requirements of the large number of flood-affected in Sindh. As reported, around two thousand health care centres and hospitals have been damaged in rains and floods.  The basic health material likes the  pure water and oral rehydration salts like ORS etc. are short in supplies.' Same is the case with essential medicines and over the counter drugs in the province. 

Dur to this persisting crisis, the number of patients is rising at alarming level which can be gauged from the fact that in Sindh, around one lakh patients were treated in a single day in Sindh province this week.  

The expecting mothers are also at risk of contracting various diseases as they are exposed to all sorts of viruses and infections. A recent report reveals that around twenty thousand expecting mothers were screened for various diseases during the last one week.

Due to unavailability of toilets women are bearing the brunt of the situation.  The Sindh government doing all efforts but the situation is alarming and the Federation government should come to the rescue of Sindh one third of the flood affected people are still without tents and one can imagine their situation. Meanwhile, the Sindh government has issued instructions to schools to make the students wear full screens and also avoid swimming in swimming pools in the wake of dengue and naegleria fowleri threat. The citizens have also been asked to take precautionary measures and drink boiled water and avoid eating from the street stalls due to danger of infections and diseases.

Published in The Daily National Courier, September, 20 2022

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