OVER 2.2 million residents have been safely evacuated as monsoon floods continue to wreak havoc across Punjab, with more than 4.2 million people affected.
According to Senior Minister of the province Marriyum Aurangzeb, flooding has damaged 4155 mohallahs and crops over 1.5 million acres of land, displacing over 244000 people across 96 localities. Giving details of relief efforts, she said 413 relief sites and 494 medical camps have been established and 1.6 million livestock safely relocated.
No doubt, Punjab witnessed worst ever flooding but it is a matter of satisfaction that under the overall leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the provincial government, aided by the federal government and Pakistan Army, has been able to mitigate sufferings of the affected people to a great extent. Going by the scale of the disaster, the rescue and relief was a Herculean task and hundred percent perfection is not expected but, by and large, the efforts made were appreciable as the operation was fairly comprehensive covering shelter, food and medical aspects. Apart from focus on redirection and pumping of the standing water, special emphasis is being laid on disease prevention, which is a possibility in the affected areas. The enormity of the challenge is clear from the statement issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), which has warned of “grave risks” of epidemic outbreaks, stressing the urgent need for clean water, sanitation and an uninterrupted supply of medicines. Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir insists the government is prepared and it is time that apart from the formal health facilities, the otherwise widely-hailed initiative of ‘Clinic on Wheel’ should demonstrate its true worth.
