Media watch: Cholera, more floods and anti-govt resentment

Reports pour in of Cholera, further flooding, devastation to crops and fears of a government losing power.

Media watch is a daily round-up of key articles featured on news websites, hand-picked by The Express Tribune web staff.

Conflicting reports about cholera

Ashfaq Yusufzai reports for Dawn on a case of Cholera in Swat inciting panic, even as Director-General of Health, Dr Sajid Shaheen, contradicted the report saying there were complaints of watery diarrhoea, but there was no report of cholera yet.

“The situation is extremely precarious in Swat, but our teams have established a surveillance system to check epidemics,” he said.

“People are suffering from acute watery diarrhoea but the situation is under control.”

Hats off to the political leadership

Rajaz Riaz writing for Daily Times applauded the political leadership of the PML-N and PPP in resolving a perception of political point scoring between the two parties amidst the flood crisis.

Hats off to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif who, by addressing a joint press conference in the federal capital, repelled the impression that the political leadership of the two biggest political forces of the country are trying to steal the show by going to the calamity-hit areas and trying to prove more loyal to them than the others, as several statements were made from the lower tier leadership of these political forces blaming the leaders of opponent parties of “mere photo session service” or going abroad of “personal tour” leaving the countrymen in the lurch.

Guddu to brace for 1m cusec water in next 3 days

The Nation warns that the river Indus is likely to sustain exceptionally high floods of up to 1,000,000 cusecs during the next 3 to 4 days.

Under this scenario, inundation and riverside flooding could occur in low-lying areas of District Khairpur, Jacobabad, Ghotki and Sukkur.

40 percent decrease in cotton output feared

The ongoing flood crisis is likely to have a devastating impact on standing crops in Pakistan, with cotton expected to take a huge hit.

Federal Textile Minister Rana Mohammad Farooq Saeed Khan has feared 30 percent to 40 percent decrease in cotton production due to recent floods in the country.

Pakistan flood response prompts rising anti-government resentment

A report in The Guardian by Saeed Shah highlights growing fears that President Zardari could be overthrown, possibly by the Army, due to growing public resentment as the flood crisis worsens.

Pakistan's government faces the threat of social unrest or even military takeover after its shambolic response to the floods that have devastated the country, leaving 1,600 people dead and 2 million homeless, say analysts.

"The powers that be, that is the military and bureaucratic establishment, are mulling the formation of a national government, with or without the PPP [the ruling Pakistan People's party]," said Najam Sethi, editor of the weekly Friday Times.

Pakistan floods, Haiti earthquake: unprecedented 1-2 punch for US aid

Howard LaFranchi writing for Christian Science Monitor analyses the "slow and inadequate international response" to Pakistan's flood crisis in light of US aid provided to Haiti.

About $76 million has already been carved out in civilian and military US aid for the Pakistan floods. But some are concerned that other donors may be holding back because of ‘aid fatigue’ after Haiti.