Nearly 300 children have died in Tharparkar this year: PPP

Taj Haider says a total of 496 people, 296 of them children, have died in the district this year


Afp November 19, 2014

KARACHI: Nearly 300 children have died this year in Tharparkar, officials said Wednesday, as poor monsoon rains and livestock diseases have combined to worsen malnutrition.

Tharparkar has seen an alarming number of children suffering pneumonia or diarrhoea due to a dangerous mix of drought, poverty and poor health infrastructure.

The deaths have prompted criticism for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which governs in Sindh.

A total of 496 people, 296 of them children, have died in Tharparkar this year, Taj Haider, a senior PPP official with responsibility for the Thar situation, told AFP.

Since the start of October, 48 children have died in Tharparkar, according to doctor Abdul Jalil, district health officer for Tharparkar district.

This week around 40 children, some in critical condition, are undergoing treatment in a hospital in Mithi, the nearest town to the affected area, according to humanitarian sources.

"The current situation is due to a combination of factors. Low rainfall and sheep pox exacerbated malnutrition and (there was) a lack of health care facilities," a UN official told AFP.

Life in the desert is closely tied to rain-dependent crops and animals, with farmers relying on beans, wheat and sesame seeds for survival. They barter any surplus for livestock.

There are few health care facilities in the area, and families must travel substantial distances to seek treatment.

COMMENTS (10)

Fizza | 9 years ago | Reply

I can't express my feelings just have guilt that we are enjoying life where these people are striving for foods....but I have an initiative we can help them by providing them water irrigation plants so they can at least grow vegetables for themselves.

Bahadurkhan | 9 years ago | Reply

My sympathies for the neglected people of Sindh. This region also has many hindu citizen who are second class. The region is nearly 350 km from karachi, 150 km from Hyderabad Sind. Close to border with india. Can indian medical teams be allowed inside for rescue of hindu citizens on humanitarian base.

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