‘Sindh still in danger’, warns Climate minister amid more rains forecast

Sherry Rehman says floods have triggered water-borne diseases with Karachi witnessing dengue outbreak

Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman on Monday warned about the worsening situation in Sindh, saying River Indus at Kotri Barrage is in a high flood with an in-flow of more than 600,000 cusecs of floodwater, posing a serious threat to the surrounding regions.

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.

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.

Also read: Residents step up to protect homes in flood-hit Sindh

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.

“We are expediting our efforts to provide medicines and medics to the 81 calamity-hit flood-affected districts of the country. However, these are still very initial estimates as new data is coming up on the ground," the minister added.

Food insecurity is another impending crisis created due to floods. Sherry said, “70% 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 in number. Sindh saw the highest number of deaths at 594 in total and has a huge number of populations in camps.

Also read: Untold miseries of the flood victims

Highlighting the economic losses suffered due to the floods, the climate minister remarked, “Pakistan has incurred agricultural loss, damage to infrastructure including 6,579km of roads, 246 bridges and railway infrastructure. 1,043,647 houses have been completely damaged in Sindh; the highest number of houses damaged in any province. Estimates will all have to be revised when the actual scale of the damage is clear. The looming threat of flood down the Kotri Barrage is still at large. Rain forecasts have predicted a monsoon stretching into September in Sindh. That could pose a huge challenge in the existing crisis situation. We are faced with a humanitarian disaster of epic proportions.”

She further added, "We appreciate the UNSG coming here and making an unequivocal plea for humanitarian assistance to Pakistan. It is unfortunate that all over social media and other public platforms the opposition is actively exhorting all international supporters to not give aid or support via anyone but their own PTI sources. Such active promotion of public disunity in Pakistan’s worse hour of need and crisis is a shocking expose of the thinking behind the divisive politics being promoted. We, meanwhile, welcome all support and assistance to the destitute and homeless victims of this great flood, irrespective of caste, colour or political creed. Every Pakistani in need has a right to assistance. We would never stand in the way of that, for burnishing our own political brand."