Months after Pakistan floods, millions lack safe water, says UN

The United Nations childrens agency on Tuesday warned that after last summers devastating floods 10 million people in Pakistan including children still live in floodaffected areas without access to safe drinking waterThe statement from UNICEF underscored the dire situation in impoverished Pakistan a country with a population of 220 million that months later is still struggling with the consequences of the flooding as well as a spiraling economic crisis The floods which experts attribute in part to climate change killed 1739 people including 647 children and 353 womenSo far less than half of UNICEFs funding appeal for Pakistan 45 per cent of USD 1735 million has been met According to the agency before the floods struck last June water from only 36 per cent of Pakistans water system was considered safe for human consumptionThe floods damaged most of the water pipelines systems in affected areas forcing more than 54 million people including 25 million children to rely solely on contaminated water from ponds and wells UNICEF saidSafe drinking water is not a privilege it is a basic human right said Abdullah Fadil the UNICEF representative in Pakistan Yet every day millions of girls and boys in Pakistan are fighting a losing battle against preventable waterborne diseases and the consequential malnutritionWe need the continued support of our donors to provide safe water build toilets and deliver vital sanitation services to these children and families who need them the most Fadil addedAmid the crisis Pakistan faces uncertainty about a bailout from the International Monetary Fund Analysts say the revival of the USD 6 IMF bailout which was signed in 2019 would help Pakistan If the global lender released a key installment of the package it would encourage other international financial institutions to help the country they sayAlso read Urgent climate action is the way forward to secure liveable future IPCC reportAt a UNbacked conference in Geneva in January dozens of countries and international institutions pledged more than USD 9 billion to help Pakistan recover and rebuild from the floods But most of the pledges were in form of project loans and the projects are still in the planning stagesPrime Minister Shahbaz Sharifs government is also facing a surge in militant attacks and political instability as his predecessor Imran Khan is campaigning for early elections Sharif has rejected the demands by Khan who was ousted in a noconfidence vote in Parliament last AprilSharif seeks political and economic stability to ensure speedy reconstruction in the floodhit areas where the weakest and the children are paying the priceIn floodaffected areas more than 15 million boys and girls are already severely malnourished and the numbers will only rise in the absence of safe water and proper sanitation UNICEF saidThe floods caused more than USD 30 billion in damages as large swaths of the country remained under water for months forcing millions to live in tents or makeshift homes near stagnant waters that led to the spread of diseaseSharifs government is also trying to provide food and cash assistance to flood survivors as the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan starts this week adding more financial burdens to the poorest of the populationThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever