One more minor on Monday fell prey to the famine in drought-hit Tharparkar, taking the death toll 138 in 39 days.
The Sindh government is resorting to mere announcements while death toll in Tharparkar is rising as an eight-month-old Asghar died at Mithi Hospital.
On the other hand, the animals are also dying due to the dearth of food and other viral diseases, forcing the residents to migrant to the safe places.
Tharparkar district in the famous Thar Desert spans over 1,20,000 square miles across the Indo-Pak subcontinent. Though only 15 per cent of the desert lies in Pakistan, high rates of child mortality largely due to acute malnutrition pose a major challenge to the local authorities, humanitarian organisations and civil society groups working in the area.
Reportedly, Civil Hospital in Mithi lacks funding while staffers remain absent and medicines are scarce in the area. Lack of resources has further added to the misery of the locals.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, if the Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate among children and women is above 15 per cent, it is to be considered an emergency situation.
In 2014, the Sindh government announced establishment of Thar Development Authority to address the problem, however, the draft is still pending for approval.
During the national nutrition survey conducted in 2011, the GAM rate in the province of Sindh is 17.5 per cent and the severely acute malnutrition (SAM) is 6.6 per cent.
Chronic malnutrition, which could cause stunting, is 49.8 per cent. The GAM rate in Tharparkar District is even higher at 22.7 per cent and the chronic malnutrition is 45.9 per cent. These statistics present a serious situation and calls for a swift action by the government and its partners to improve the nutritional status of children and women.
