Flood-ravaged Pakistan is bracing for more rains as Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman warns of a dangerous situation in Sindh. According to Rehman, the Indus River at the Kotri Barrage is "at a high flood level with an inflow of more than 600,000 cusecs of water."
Rehman added that more rainfalls could derail relief and rescue operations in the flood-hit areas. This comes as the minister sounded alarm over the sudden spurt in dengue cases after the rains, which the UN described as a 'monsoon on steroids.'
She added that there was at least a 50 per cent surge in the cases of dengue fever, especially in Karachi, where hundreds are in hospitals on a daily basis. "Karachi is seeing an outbreak of dengue while 584,246 people are in camps throughout the country; a health crisis could wreak havoc if it goes unchecked," Rehman was quoted by Geo TV.
Rehman also expressed concern at food insecurity as she revealed over 70 per cent of Pakistan's onion produce along with rice and maize has been washed off. Earlier, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had said that the country was likely to witness a fall in its GDP by over 2 percentage points.
Highlighting the need for urgent relief materials and food, the minister also lashed out at the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). "It is unfortunate that all over social media and other public platforms, the opposition is actively exhorting all international supporters to not give aid or support via anyone but their own PTI sources. Such active promotion of public disunity in Pakistan’s worst hour of crisis is a shocking expose of the thinking behind the divisive politics being promoted," she added.
The minister also estimated the loss suffered in the deluge, stating that the country lost 6,579km of roads, 246 bridges and railway infrastructure to water. She added that 485,922 houses have been completely damaged in Sindh as authorities forecast the monsoon to stretch into September in Sindh.
Earlier, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had said that it would take between three to six months to drain water from the province’s flood-hit areas.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani government on Monday launched its ‘Digital Flood Dashboard.’ According to authorities, the portal has been launched as per the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure transparency and provide information to the general public as well as donors about the relief activities and distribution of funds.
