Floodwater hatches ailments
Amidst ongoing relief operations, residents of Punjab's flood-hit districts are facing increasing risks of diseases caused by the conditions in their surroundings.
Reports from various areas indicate instances of overwhelmed healthcare units, medicine shortages and families left to fend for themselves amidst hazardous floodwater.
Aid workers said patients suffering from diarrhoea, skin infections and dengue in some areas had to wait for hours for proper treatment. They also said that anti-malaria drugs and rabies vaccine had reportedly run out in some camps set up for the affected people, leaving them vulnerable amid the unhealthy environment.
"We are treating dozens of patients in tents without enough supplies. Official tallies don't match the situation here," said a health worker in Narowal, requesting anonymity.
Floods since late August have displaced over two million people, submerging 2,000 villages and washing away vast farmland. Thousands of acres of rice, cotton and sugarcane crops are destroyed, compounding food insecurity.
The provincial government has rescued nearly 1.9 million people, set up more than 1,000 relief camps and deployed mobile health units.
But residents say many villages remain cut off, with relief services reaching them sporadically at best.
Residents of some affected areas in Hafizabad and Kasur.complained of inconsistent supply of clean water and medical assistance. Health authorities' record shows more than 15,400 cases of dengue, diarrhoea, malaria and skin diseases across Punjab in the past month.
According to healthcare sources, the province has logged 310 dengue cases during the ongoing year, including 79 in Lahore.
In addition to infections and vector-borne diseases, 99 snake and 167 dogbite cases have also been recorded.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of "grave risks" of epidemic outbreaks, stressing the urgent need for clean water, sanitation and uninterrupted supply of medicines.
Aid groups say the conditions in several camps remain unsanitary, with stagnant floodwater breeding mosquitoes and raising the likelihood of cholera and dysentery.
However, provincial Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir insists that the government is prepared for the challenge.
He said medical teams were on alert, Clinics-on-Wheels are functioning and relevant authorities in all districts have been instructed to stock emergency medicines. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is supervising the relief operations, with army units mobilised in several districts, he added.
Yet critics argue the response remains more reactive than preventive. "The authorities knew heavy rains were coming, but flood defences and public health systems were not strengthened in time," said an environmental analyst. "Now we are watching avoidable diseases spread while officials scramble for damage control."
Experts also point to climate change as a worsening factor. Punjab has received 26 per cent more rainfall this monsoon season compared to last year, according to the Meteorological Department, exposing weaknesses in infrastructure and planning.
According to an official statement released on Sunday, mosquito and disinfectant sprays are being carried out in flood relief camps. Anti-fog and anti-dengue spraying has also been started in the camps and tent cities. Moreover, teams have been deployed to ensure cleaning arrangements.
The chief minister directed the relevant authorities to continue anti-dengue measures and prevent infectious diseases in all flood-affected areas, including Narowal, Nankana Sahib and Pakpattan.
The Punjab Clean Water Authority and WASA are also providing drinking water to flood victims in relief camps across the province.
The CM noted that white containers of clean drinking water along with mineral water bottles were being delivered to affected people by boats in flood relief camps in Gujrat, Hafizabad, Jhang, Sargodha, Kasur, Rajanpur and other areas. The containers being provided to the flood victims are filled from filtration plants.