Abandoned villages

Residents of Keti Bunder, Mirpur Sakro, Garho and Buharo are suffering from food shortages and an outbreak of diseases

Whilst monsoon rains have ravaged most parts of the country, some areas have suffered more than others due to a lack of coverage. This includes villages on Sindh’s coastal belt that have been submerged into water and received little to no help from the provincial government and non-governmental organisations. Residents of Keti Bunder, Mirpur Sakro, Garho and Buharo are suffering from food shortages as well as an outbreak of waterborne diseases.

Considering that these areas were already deprived of basic facilities, the current situation is extremely dire. Residents complained about the absence of healthcare facilities, a lack of female doctors and shortages of medicines. Most families have lost their livelihoods after continuous rains battered vegetables, betel leaves and other ready crops. Residents have been compelled to use boats to shift patients and family members to hospitals or safe places on their own. Both provincial and federal governments have ignored the plight of the villagers as no medical camps have been set up nor have any officials visited the rain-hit areas to rescue stranded people.

The predictions of heavy rains in the coming days and subsequent flooding are a cause of concern for most residents as they will face the threat of losing their homes and being displaced from their native areas. The Sindh Chief Secretary has directed officials to relocate residents of Keti Bunder and adjacent areas to relief camps until the possible flood situation subsides. The dire circumstances in interior Sindh and other rural areas of the country have revealed the lacklustre disaster management and years of negligence regarding infrastructure development. Instead of abandoning these areas, both the provincial and federal governments must take the recent devastation as a warning sign to improve disaster management response and equip rural areas with adequate infrastructure and facilities urgently.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2022.

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