The flood affected areas of Pakistan cloud be framed as an image of the devastation triggered by climate change and all that meets the eye are the remains of what little the people are left with. The complete destruction of lands and life has sketched the most horrifying example of climate change and the horror continues to grow as 22 more people have lost their lives in the affected areas.
According to the details, broken houses, destroyed roads, submerged crops are tragic scenes everywhere in the calamity hit areas of Pakistan. Many places are still inundated while the victims look helpless in this whole situation. On the other hand, 22 more people lost their lives in the last 24 hours due to the ravages of floods across the country and the death toll has reached 1508, while the number of injured is 12758.
According to the latest report of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 13 more people died in Balochistan, eight in Sindh and one person in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Another 36547 houses were also damaged across the country, after which the total number of affected houses has reached 1817550. According to the report issued by NDMA, 390 bridges and 12718 km of roads have also been damaged, while 927543 cattle have also been washed away in flood channels. The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) recorded a decline in the floodwater flow at the Kotri Barrage to 366,109cusecs at noon on Friday. Floodwaters are now snaking past Hyderabad, Thatta, Sujawal, and Keti Bandar.
The dropping flow at Kotri Barrage has increased the hope of floodwater draining from several Sindh districts, where 3-4 deep water is logging vast swaths of land. Officials in recent days have warned that the stagnated floodwaters are not expected to dry or flow somewhere else anytime soon
It may take weeks or months before life returns to normalcy in terms of the availability of dry land to restructure lost settlements. However, the reduced flow in the River Indus offers a ray of hope.
Several feet of water have crippled life in Matiari District located on the left bank of the Indus River near the city of Hyderabad. Even the office of the senior superintendent of police and the cemetery are underwater as per the latest report. In Saeedabad tehsil, over 300 villages including Bhit Shah are also submerged. Academic and other activities in the region have also been suspended completely due to the deluge. Khairpur residents are also bearing the brunt of the natural disaster.
Floodwaters continue to block land access to 70 villages in the area. Locals have been forced to consume contaminated floodwater as they wait one month into the crisis for the authorities to pay heed to their plight. The residents of the Sanghar district are also wary about the lack of potable water and medical aid.
People across Sindh are suffering from the devastation brought about by the megafloods and seeking reprieve from anyone looking their way. The Sindh chief minister has announced an aid of Rs1 million for the family of each deceased person, which too, remains mostly unpaid.
The situation in Punjab and Balochistan is similar. A month into the flooding and the districts of Rajanpur, Sohbatpur and other areas are still battling stagnated floodwaters, waterborne diseases, absence of medical coverage, and lack of basic supplies including food and water. Balochistan Director General of Health Noor Muhammad Qazi has urged the government to complete the survey of flooded areas soon so that the rescue and relief work is expedited. “A plethora of diseases may emerge as a result of floods, thereby the provincial health department has undertaken measures to control the spread of diseases among flood survivors,” Noor said.
