Flood-hit communities in Sindh: water from 87 percent resources carries high health risk

Civil Society Floods Situation Report on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Response in Sindh 2011 has disclosed that due to the poor intervention by the government and humanitarian agencies in rain and flood affected districts of Sindh increased health risks especially water borne and viral diseases among the affected communities, as 87 percent of water sources are unfit for drinking.
The report was released by the members of Peoples Accountability Commission on Floods (PACF), including Ali Hassan Chandio, Nisar Sheikh, Ramzan Memon, Nisar Pahanwar and Saleem Abbasi while addressing a press conference in Karachi Press Club on Wednesday.
The report has further disclosed that neither government nor humanitarian development agencies could meet the required targets and only 15 percent needs in WASH sector were met which is not enough to cope the challenges facing by the poor rain victims and further increased their miseries.
They said it was alarming situation that even in highly affected rain flood districts, where 2.2 million women and children directly affected because of no response or intervention in WASH sector when they were settled in camps.
PACF members said that during the emergency relief services 2.5 million rain flood victims were in urgent need of potable water, sanitation and hygiene education and yet 1.2 million flood affectees waiting for response.
They underlined the need for immediate response for flood victims in WASH sector in early recovery framework for restoration of basic structures of latrines, protected water for drinking, sanitation /drainages and waste management and access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities.
They said floods reduced access to piped drinking water and increased the number of people relying on unprotected and untreated sources of water.
Quoting WHO report it says that up to 87 percent of water sources tested were unfit for drinking. The number of people practising open defecation also caused spread of viral diseases among the rain flooded communities.
They maintained that there was an urgent need of intervention in wash sector because majority of rain victims returned to their homes where health and sanitation facilities badly damaged and there was urgent need of repairing these facilities to support improved hygiene behaviour. They have shown grave concern over the government's decision to stop the relief services in response to the emergency rain flood on December 31, 2011 and start of Early Recovery Framework from January 2012 it has been found that revision of the Flash Appeal for per early recovery Framework was put on hold at Federal level.
They pointed out that it was decided by the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) that all clusters will be continued with the original flash appeal for Sep 2011 to March 2012 and revision on the basis of ER framework will be done for January - September 2012.-PR