The authorities say that it will take at least another six months for the floods that have affected Pakistan to recede completely.
Accordingly, with this situation, the Pakistani health authorities are also warning that there is a possibility of the spread of water-borne diseases. As a result, there is a possibility of the rapid spread of dengue and cholera.
Floods caused by record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in Pakistan’s northern highlands have so far killed more than 1,400 people and affected more than 33 million others.
Houses, roads, railways, livestock and crops have been severely damaged due to these floods. The damage caused by this flood is expected to be more than 30 billion US dollars.
“There is an outbreak of dengue in the city of Karachi as hundreds of thousands of cases are reported to the government and private hospitals every day. Dengue cases have increased by 50% this year compared to last year. There are 584,246 people in camps across the country, and this health crisis could spell disaster if not controlled,” Pakistan’s weather minister Sherry Rehman said on Monday.
Rehman warned that Pakistan is currently facing a massive food shortage, with 70% of its staple crops like rice and maize destroyed, and that there is an urgent need for “food, tents and medicine”.
There is a risk of increased flooding, particularly in the hard-hit areas along the Indus River in Sindh province, and meteorological forecasts indicate that continuous rainfall could continue throughout September.
Accordingly, in a statement issued on Monday, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that due to prolonged monsoon rains, the water level may extend to three to six months.
Meanwhile, he said that Pakistan’s largest fresh water lake, Manchar, has been overflowing since early September and the flood water has affected hundreds of villages and over 100,000 people.
The Pakistani government and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have pointed out that the bad weather conditions caused by global climate change have caused this flood.
Accordingly, the Secretary General of the United Nations had requested the world community to immediately join in curbing climate change.
