ISLAMABAD: Up to 2.5 million children have been affected by severe
monsoon floods in southern Pakistan and with many still recovering from
the worst floods in the country’s history just a year ago, says UNICEF
report.
According to the press statement received here on
Sunday explained that heavy monsoon rains and floods are affecting at
least five million people across Pakistan, according to the Government
of Pakistan, with Sindh province in southern Pakistan bearing the brunt
of the disaster. In Sindh alone, many hundreds of thousands of families
have been affected across 22 out of 23 districts. Nearly one million
homes have been destroyed or damaged, causing population displacement,
with many stuck or stranded along roadsides.
Over 200,000
people are now staying in more than 1,400 relief camps, consisting
primarily of Government schools, buildings and makeshift tented
settlements, according to preliminary figures released by the National
Disaster Management Authority.
Children and families are still
recovering from the effects of the 2010 floods, which aggravated
existing levels of widespread chronic malnutrition, unhealthy
sanitation practices, low primary school attendance (especially for
girls), and a host of child protection issues, and the new monsoon
floods have disrupted that progress.
“Children are the most
vulnerable in any emergency – in this disaster, many are experiencing
the devastating effects of a flood emergency for the second time in a
year. Their coping mechanisms were already weak and their
vulnerabilities high,” said UNICEF Pakistan Representative, Dan
Rohrmann.
“We are witnessing vast devastation across huge
swathes of Sindh province. The key areas of concern for children right
now include access to health and nutrition, safe drinking water and
protection. At the beginning of an emergency like this, it is critical
that children are reached with life-saving interventions and helped to
return to a sense of normalcy,” said Mr Rohrmann.
“The flood
waters, apart from driving children and families from their homes, have
contaminated wells and other sources of drinking water, compromised
sanitation and hygiene, and are contributing to a rise in water-borne
diseases, such as diarrhoea. There are immediate needs to reach
children with clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene messages as
well as provide additional health services to prevent disease
outbreaks,” said Mr. Rohrmann.
Following the official request
for assistance by the Government of Pakistan, UNICEF is working closely
with the National Disaster Management Authority, Provincial Disaster
Management Authorities, and other UN agencies to urgently assess the
level of humanitarian needs. The emergency response, already underway
by the Government, will be jointly coordinated and implemented by UN
agencies, the Government of Pakistan, provincial government
authorities, and civil society organisations.
“We will ensure
that vulnerable children receive essential assistance both during and
after this emergency as part of our ‘core commitments for children in
humanitarian action’. It is vital that we take all measures to save
children’s lives, alleviate suffering and protect the rights of
children,” added Mr. Rohrmann. Online
