Some 380,000 people affected in Chitral

By Sehrish Wasif
Published: August 13, 2015

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NHEPRN reports says local admin is facing acute shortage of medicines. PHOTO: INP

ISLAMABAD: Apart from claiming 36 lives and injuring a dozen, the recent floods in
Chitral have also affected a population of around 380,000 people, the four per cent of
which comprises pregnant women.

According to a report compiled by the National Health Emergency Preparedness and

Response Network (NHEPRN), the post-flood situation in Chitral is worsening due to
the scarcity of resources and closure of roads due to massive landslides.

Sharing the details of the report, the NHEPRN’s Deputy Director Operation Dr Sabina
Durrani told The Express Tribune that the local administration is facing acute shortage
of medicines and does not have vaccines for snake or dog bite.
“Their entire year’s stock of medicine is almost finished and currently the local
administration urgently needs it as there are chances of an outbreak of various
diseases,” she said.

Contaminated drinking water

Dr Durrani said the people of Chitral are also forced to drink contaminated water and
are at risk of suffering from water-borne diseases such as Hepatitis A, E, thyroid,
diarrhoea, and gastroenteritis.

“To deal with the situation, the NHEPRN in collaboration with the World Health
Organisation (WHO) has distributed a few water purification pills among the residents
of the area.  However, it is not a permanent solution,” she said.

Relief activities

She said it is estimated that 80 per cent of the areas have been cut off from the main city
of Chitral which is creating difficulty in relief activities for the people living in far-
flung areas.

“Currently army is carrying out major relief activities by using helicopters, however,
the local administration is facing acute shortage of logistics to access the population
living in the remote areas,” she said.

She said it has become a big challenge for the medical teams to access population living
in narrow valleys, adding that majority of the patients are being shifted to the local
hospitals through helicopters.

Carcasses of animals

She said a large number of animals have died in the floods and their decaying bodies
are lying everywhere.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13 th, 2015.