As flood waters continue to wreak havoc in the southern parts of the country, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) on Wednesday expressed grave concern about the health hazards posed by receding water amid reports of cholera cases in the Swat Valley that has been cut-off from the country because all the bridges have been washed away.
Though the number of cases reported so far is small, DEC Chief Executive Brendan Gormley said: “Cholera causes acute watery diarrhoea which allows it to spread very quickly in cramped, unhygienic conditions. Aid workers greatly fear cholera after a disaster because, without treatment, more than half those infected are likely to die.''
That water-borne diseases could actually consume more lives than the floods has been a major concern of humanitarian agencies with the United Nations Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Mogwanja calling it a potential second wave of deaths which could be more lethal. By the end of last week itself, the number of cases of acute diarrhoea had crossed the one lakh mark.
For the residents of Swat Valley like many other pockets of Khyber-Pukhtoonkhwa, the floods struck at a time when they were just about settling down in their homes after being displaced in the wake of security operations against militants.
This is their second displacement in quick succession and the future looks particularly bleak for the residents of the otherwise picturesque Swat Valley as the helicopter sorties by the U. S. forces in collaboration with the government have become their sole lifeline.
Meanwhile, the U. S. continued to lead the rescue and relief work across the country. Briefing mediapersons on Tuesday, U. S. Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson said the American contribution to the rescue and relief effort was far more than any country; adding that “the U. S. has unique capabilities that no other country can match''.
As to whether lack of confidence in the government was the reason for the lukewarm response to international appeals for assistance, she said: “We have confidence in the government's ability to deliver.''
On whether the U. S. had concerns about the floods diverting the attention of the Army from the operations against terrorism along its borders with Afghanistan, Ms. Patterson said every effort ought to be made to ensure that the armed forces had sufficient resources for carrying out the operations.
