The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) of the Pakistan Meteorological Department recorded a high flood of 487,312 cusecs at the Kotri Barrage at 12 noon on Wednesday as the floodwaters finally reached the upper reaches of the Indus River.
However, the threat of flooding is not yet over. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said that a cyclone from India is likely to enter Pakistan next week, inundating the country’s already devastated riverine areas.
In an alert issued on Tuesday night, the NDMA advised authorities to evacuate people from low-lying areas along the Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab rivers.
A devastating region
At least 54 more people were killed and six injured in flood-related incidents in the last 24 hours, the latest NDMA data said.
Since mid-June, the death toll stands at 1,481.
Around 4,000 houses have been destroyed by the floods so far, while 81 districts are still reeling from the ‘monsoon on steroids’.
The recent visit of the Secretary General of the United Nations has drawn the world’s attention to the worst climate disaster in Pakistan.
Help is coming, but it’s still not enough.
According to the information shared by Sama’s correspondent, the flood has left thousands of homeless people in Qasim Beila area of ​​Multan at the mercy of philanthropists.
Dozens of villages have also been washed away due to heavy rains and subsequent floods.
Residents continue to appeal to the government to provide aid to stem the escalating humanitarian crisis as they try to survive in dire conditions.
In the south, Sindh is also affected by flash floods and an abundance of water-borne diseases.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has said that around 600,000 cases of skin diseases have been registered in the province while at least 12,229 cases of dengue are also creating an alarming situation.
He said 172 deaths had been reported in the region so far but claimed “the situation is much worse than that.”
Pregnant women, newborns at risk
The floods have threatened the lives of thousands of pregnant women in the country. Thousands of children are expected to be born in dangerous conditions in Punjab alone.
According to Samaa TV correspondent Daniyal Omar, more than 100,000 women will give birth in the camps.
Absence of proper prenatal and postnatal care has left thousands of children and women vulnerable to health problems.
50,000 pregnant women are at risk in Dera Ghazi Khan, followed by at least 32,000 in Punjab’s Rajanpur district.
Health experts are lobbying for provision of mobile toilets for expectant mothers as well as psychological support for flood-affected vulnerable sections of the society.
According to a report by the Population Council, 330,000 women in the flood-affected areas of Punjab have more than five children.
The organization also reported that more than 940,000 children under the age of five are malnourished in flood-affected areas of Punjab, and more than 200,000 elderly people need special assistance to survive.
