With the record floods in Pakistan, a wave of infections has swept the country. Authorities have reported that since the flood disaster began, 2.6 million people have been treated for diseases that spread in the water in the particularly affected region of Sindh alone. Among them are almost half a million children. More than 300 people have already died in Sindh from diseases such as malaria, cholera or dengue fever.
The World Health Organization warned of a “second catastrophe” over the weekend in view of the increasing number of infections. The reason for the rapid spread is the lack of clean water and sanitary facilities caused by the floods.
Since mid-June, Pakistan has been suffering from unusually heavy rainfall, which has led to the worst flood disaster on record in the South Asian country. A third of the country is under water, 1545 people have already lost their lives. According to official figures, a total of 33 million people have been affected by the floods. Many people lost their livelihoods as the water masses destroyed agricultural land and killed livestock.
Experts blame climate change for the increasing number of natural disasters in Pakistan. Pakistani politicians have already announced that they will demand reparations for the damage caused by the floods. Pakistan is among the countries hardest hit by the climate crisis, despite barely contributing to global emissions.
