Pakistan: Cholera outbreak worsens situation in flood-affected Balochistan

The number of Cholera cases in the Zhob district of Balochistan province is once again on the rise, after the recent devastating spell of rains and floods in the province.

According to Pakistani newspaper the Dawn, official sources said on Monday that two children have lost their lives while dozens were affected in different areas of Zhob district due to the consumption of contaminated water.

The waterborne disease continues to spread in Balochistan as almost all water resources were badly affected by floods and rainfall.

The cases were reported in Sharan Babakarkhil and Gastoi Bahlul areas of Zhob where two children have died while several people were also brought to the nearby health facility requiring immediate medical attention.

The recent flash floods in the country have contributed to cholera and diarrhea outbreaks as clean drinking water was not available.

Sources said that the cholera cases were also reported from Kohlu, Dera Bugti, Jhal Magsi, Noshki, Nasirabad and other areas of the Lasbela district, the Dawn reported.

Thousands of people in far-flung areas of the province are still waiting for help from the government and welfare groups as they suffer the aftermath of the devastating floods.

This is the second cholera outbreak in Zhob in a month. The spread of cholera had earlier threatened the people who continued to deal with the aftermath of rains and floods.

In the earlier outbreak, last month, around a dozen people lost their lives while hundreds were affected. Health authorities had said that over 2,000 cases of cholera were reported in the Zhob district and a majority of the patients were women and children.

Balochistan in particular has seen uncharacteristically heavy rains during the monsoon season this year.

On Saturday, six more people were killed due to heavy rains and floods in Balochistan, bringing the total tally of dead to 176.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said 176 people have been reported dead amid the heavy rains and floods in the province. The total includes 77 men, 44 women and 55 children, local media reported.

Deaths were reported in Bolan, Quetta, Zhob, Dakki, Khuzdar, Kohlu, Kech, Mastoong, Harnai, Qila Saifullah and Sibbi.

The authorities said more than 18,000 homes were damaged or demolished due to the floods in the province. Tube wells, solar panels and other forms of communication are severely damaged due to the rains.

Disastrous spells of monsoon rains have led to severe damage on six different highways with 670 km length and 16 bridges, PDMA said. Additionally, 1,98,461 acres of crops were destroyed amid the natural disaster.

"Balochistan recorded more than 600 per cent above-normal rainfall during these monsoon spells since mid-June while Sindh received 500 per cent more rain. Major cities are being warned against urban flooding, prolonged electricity outages, and flash floods," Pakistan federal minister for Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman had said earlier.

Rehman said that the effects of climate change continue to exacerbate in the country as it experienced lengthy heat waves and forest fires.