Flood Victims in Pakistan Still Face Many Challenges - UN

(HN, September 28, 2010) - As colder weather descends on parts of Pakistan, concerns are rising about the plight of millions of people displaced by flood waters.

Cases of acute respiratory infections are increasing: in the past week alone, almost 90,000 cases were recorded, which accounted for 80 per cent of all medical consultations, according to Paul Garwood of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Also last week, there had been 486,000 people examined for different medical conditions, including respiratory infections, acute and bloody diarrhoea, suspected malaria and skin diseases. Overall, since 29 July to 24 September, more than 6.2 million people had been treated across flood-affected parts of Pakistan for the main four conditions: diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, suspected malaria and skin diseases, Garwood told journalists at a news briefing today in Geneva monitored by HUMNEWS.

He said that in Punjab and Balluchistan there is an increase in suspected malaria cases. Across Sindh, since 29 July, more than 1 million people had suffered some kind of skin disease. This accounted for the largest health condition being reported amongst the affected population.

So far, the health cluster has delivered medicines that could treat up to 4.9 million people. Another concern at the moment was with people returning to the northern part of the country, as well as Punjab.

Also in Sindh Province, more implementing partners were needed on the ground, including non-governmental organizations to help roll out health facilities including the establishment of diarrhoea treatment centers, said Garwood.

The floods have disrupted the lives of over 20 million people. Member of Parliament Yasmeen Rehman said 75 percent of the infrastructure of Pakistan has been destroyed, including schools, colleges and homes. She said women and girls are among the most vulnerable. I could see that they are putting up a very brave front, living in tents. They have problems of skin disease, the dont have clothes or slipers to wear and if they get food, they prefer to give it to their children, They will be the last one if there is any food to eat."

Jean-Philippe Chauzy of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the agency has launched a pilot project to offer core shelter solutions to flood victims returning to their damaged or destroyed homes. The project offers a flexible alternative to transitional shelters, based on need and would include items such as doors, window frames and clean up kits.

The pilot project targets 300 families in Punjab and Sindh. The project would show the extent to which the flexible core shelter concept was feasible and whether it would help people to permanently rebuild their former homes by providing them with locally-sourced materials and tools, said Chauzy.

The project also aimed to analyze the challenges posed by large scale implementation, including the selection of beneficiaries, procurement and the availability of local building materials, said Chauzy.