Karachi: Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman on Monday warned about the worsening situation in Sindh, saying the river Indus at Kotri Barrage is in a high spate with an in-flow of more than 600,000 cusecs of floodwater, posing a serious threat to the surrounding regions, media reports said.
She further highlighted that rain forecasts have predicted monsoon stretching into September all over the country and lower Sindh will also receive rainfall which could prove detrimental to the relief and rescue operations in the area, the Express Tribune reported.
Discussing the looming health crisis, the Federal Minister said: “Floods have brought with it the menace of water-borne diseases such as dengue and cholera. Karachi is seeing an outbreak of dengue as hundreds and thousands of patients are reporting daily at government and private hospitals. The dengue cases this year are 50 per cent higher than last year. With 584,246 people in camps throughout the country, the health crisis could wreak havoc if it will go unchecked. According to the Sindh Chief Minister, clearing the water might take up to three to six months.”
Manchar Lake has been overflowing since early September, causing inundation of several hundred villages and more than 100,000 people, located in the path of the flood, are affected and have been asked to evacuate, Express Tribune reported.
Food insecurity is another impending crisis created due to floods. Rehman said: “70 per cent of the onion crop along with rice and maize has been completely destroyed in the country. Nearly 2 million acres of crops and orchards have been hit, according to the United Nations. Right now, urgent relief in the form of food, tents and medicines is being provided by national and provincial disaster management authorities NDMA and PDMAs but we need more resources to meet the needs on the ground.”
The death toll has reached 1,422. Sindh saw the highest number of deaths at 594 in total and has a huge number of population in camps, Express Tribune reported.
(IANS)
