Tharparkar drought: Five more children die as fatality toll reaches 160

Famine relief efforts commence in Umerkot district.

HYDERABAD:

Five more children have died in Tharparkar, bringing the unofficial fatality toll to 160 due to malnutrition to date.

According to Dr Sahib Dino of Mithi’s Civil Hospital, two infants died at the hospital while one child passed away en route to Hyderabad following a referral from Mithi’s hospital. These two children, both boys, belonged to the villages of Verarh and Wagho.

Two more children were also reported to have died in their villages of Ranjho Lund, Islamkot, and Hoti Jo Tarh, Mithi, while receiving treatment from local doctors.  Health officials accept a death toll of 78 and dispute the cause of death, reported to be malnourishment.

According to Pratab Shevani, a local activist working for the non-profit Maruara Network, the poor provision of health facilities is exacerbating problems caused by the drought. “These facilities are ill-equipped, both in terms of doctors and equipment, to provide quality healthcare,” he said, adding that children have not been the only casualties, 35-year-old Qaima Bajeer passed away in Hyderabad’s Civil Hospital two days ago, after she was referred there.



Minister for Ports and Shipping Kamran Michael distributed 3,000 ration packs in the Hoti Jo Tarh village, saying federal funding of Rs1 billion would soon reach Tharparkar. He held the Sindh government responsible for the deaths in the area, adding, “officials responsible for this predicament should be punished.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Asif Ikram said 45 mobile teams of doctors are visiting villages across the region, bolstering the number of medical camps set up by security forces and NGOs.

Distribution of relief goods

The distribution of wheat ground to a halt two days ago when warehouses in five talukas of Tharparkar ran short of supplies.

Meanwhile, in the neighbouring Umerkot district, the distribution of relief has commenced for nearly 170,000 people or 33,445 families in five union councils. Deputy Commissioner of Umerkot Nadeemur Rehman Memon said five to six member committees for each UC have been formed to enable the distribution work.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2014.