The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD)-Sindh has predicted more torrential rains next week in lower Sindh districts, including Badin, where the recent monsoon rains had caused large-scale destructions. In the recent advisory, PMD-Sindh has predicted that reduced air pressure over parts of India would cause widespread thunderstorms and rains in a few days, and lower Sindh districts would receive more rains.
The recent torrential rains and breaches in the Left Bank Outfall Drain flooded houses, standing crops, schools, healthcare facilities, infrastructure and livestock in Badin, Tando Muhammad Khan, Umerkot and Mirpurkhas districts.
Independent sources estimate that around 5.2 million people in these districts have been directly affected and become homeless.
These people have lost everything and the increasing prices of food items and unavailability of basic facilities have devastated them. Unavailability of food, shelter and medicines, acute shortage of potable water, unavailability of toilets and unhygienic conditions at the relief camps could cause another disaster in the near future, and aid workers claim that women and children could suffer the most.
No proper relief has been provided to the affectees after passage of over two weeks.
In Badin, relief camps have been unable to provide basic facilities to the affectees, including clean potable water, food and safe sanitation.
Most of these people are either living in schools, basic health units or other government buildings where there are no proper toilets or sanitation systems, or the required quantity of drinking water.
“If people are not provided with clean water, and proper sanitation and toilet facilities, then there can be another disaster,” said Association for Water, Applied Education & Renewable Energy President Ali Rahimoon.
He said that due to absence of proper relief, people have started attacking trucks loaded with food items passing through their areas, adding that the situation could get worse.