Children Worst Victims in Pakistan's Floods

Now an update on the floods in Pakistan. They have brought misery to millions of people across the country. But as large numbers of people continue to be displaced by the raging waters, elderly people and children are among the most vulnerable.

According to the United Nations, up to 3.5 million children are at high risk from deadly water-borne diseases in Pakistan, following the country's worst floods. The disaster has killed 1,600 people, made four million homeless and disrupted over 20 million lives.

Malnourished children are getting diarrhea and upset stomachs from drinking dirty water, and the only way they can re-hydrate is to drink more dirty water.

Flies swarm over the meager food that these children are getting and millions of mosquitoes have settled on stagnant pools left behind by the floods.

In Veno Garhi in northwest Pakistan, food and clean drinking water are scarce for but flies and mosquitoes are in abundance.

[Amanullah Khan, Resident]:
"Diseases are spreading because of the floods. The skin on children's feet is getting infected. They also have upset stomachs and gastric problems. All sorts of ailments are affecting them. They are also getting eye infections. We have received no help from the government. There is no medical camp here."

Aid agencies say clean water is essential to prevent deadly water-borne diseases but water during the flood has been badly contaminated.

Across most rural areas in the flood-stricken regions, carcasses of dead animals are still floating in the floodwaters in which the children bathe to take refuge from the sweltering heat.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Children
• Worst
• Victim
• Pakistan
• infection
• ailments
• Flood
• misery
• raging
• United Nations
• disease
• Malnourished
• diarrhea
• Veno Garhi

[joelito101]

We have the technology to survive these floods. Why aren't the governments using it? I'm talking about HAARP, Nano-filters for water, etc... Governments don't seem to care about people, only about staying in "power".

[1eyednewt]

Such a tragedy!

[tlndofa]

so many people,,,,thats a lota water,,,imagine what it could do to a city. ...