![[Img #74675]](https://thelatestnews.world/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/They-discover-a-new-class-of-X-ray-sources-in-the-150x150.jpg)
First modification:
The latest balance of victims of the floods in Pakistan is more than 1,130 dead. A third of the territory is under water after exceptional amounts of rain fell on the country, which has been experiencing devastating monsoon rains since mid-June. Some hospitals have recorded a 70% increase in the number of patients in recent weeks.
With our special correspondent in Sukkur, Sonia Ghezali.
Dr. Nasrullah Soomro is the director of the civilian hospital in Sukkur, in southern Pakistan. A hospital that is on the front lines of particularly deadly flooding in Sindh province.
The doctor approaches a bed. The patient, who was working when heavy rains caused the building to collapse, has a bandaged arm. When the doctor asks him what happened to his colleagues, the man replies that “one of them is fine”, but that the one who was also brought to the hospital “is dead”.
The spectrum of epidemics
Medical staff are treating the injured, but Dr. Nasrullah is especially worried about other consequences of the heavy rains. Indeed, “many diseases are emerging,” he says. “We have cases of malaria and we fear that a cholera epidemic could break out. In addition, the survivors live in overcrowded conditions in camps and shelters. Given these conditions, the existence of Covid-19 is worrying. We fear that the virus will spread among the survivors. We are doing everything possible to deal with this situation, coordinating with local authorities to deal with it and respond in the best possible way,” he details.
A third of the country is under water, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said in an interview with AFP on Monday, referring to a “crisis of unimaginable proportions”, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke of monsoon rains ” unprecedented in 30 years. Nearly 33 million people are affected by the floods. Many doctors fear that stagnant water could cause a health crisis.
More than 10,000 million dollars needed
Pakistan will need more than $10 billion to repair the damage and rebuild damaged infrastructure, the country’s planning and development minister told AFP on Tuesday. “There has been massive damage to infrastructure, especially in the telecommunications, roads, agriculture and livelihood sectors,” Ahsan Iqbal said.
In total, more than 800,000 head of cattle were killed and 80,000 hectares of agricultural land were destroyed. In addition, more than 3,400 kilometers of roads and 157 bridges have been washed away.
Add Comment