Oxfam and local partners helping 35,000 Pakistani flood victims

Oxfam and local counterparts are providing 35,000 people who are affected by the floods in the south of Pakistan with drinking water, emergency shelter and items to improve hygiene and reduce public health risks.

Teams of public health officers, water and sanitation specialists and humanitarian programme officers recently visited settlements in the affected provinces of Balochistan and Sindh. People told them how the floods swept away all their belongings. In some areas the flood water level rose to eight metres and stayed for some days. Cattle drowned and crops were devastated. The floods took with them the thin layer of fertile soil, leaving behind rocky fields where virtually nothing will grow over the next few years.

377,400 reported displaced

Cyclone Yemyin struck the coastal areas of Balochistan province on the 26th of June, bringing rain, flash flooding and winds up to 80 mph. This was followed by torrential rain in Balochistan and isolated light rain in Sindh, causing flash floods and breaches in river embankments and canal walls.
Official sources have reported 280 deaths to date, and 170 missing. Some 377,400 people were left displaced while the total number of people affected by the cyclone is 2 million.

Surviving in 50°C, no water to drink

Even before disaster struck, Balochistan was already Pakistan's least developed province. Many people lack essential services and live in dire conditions in a mostly arid region. With temperatures reaching 50°C, ground water levels decrease rapidly and wells dry out before the rainy season arrives, making availability of drinking water an acute problem. Only the more affluent families can afford to drill water wells deep enough to have a stable supply of safe drinking water.

With the flood water staying several days, virtually all water sources have been contaminated and are no longer suitable for human consumption. Still this doesn't stop people from drinking water out of puddles, irrigation pipes and the freshly filled wells – the same sources they use for washing and bathing. People use 'the bush' as their toilet. Only, with no vegetation left, one can hardly speak of a bush. These open toilets only worsen public hygiene. People, especially children who play near the puddles, suffer from painful lesions, boils and eye infections. Moreover, with no privacy women compromise their health by enforcing personal restrictions on not using the 'bush'.

Oxfam providing shade, water and soap

Oxfam and local partners provide people with water purifiers and are cleaning wells and installing water storage tanks. They construct bathing facilities with separate sections for women and advocate the use of soap and good personal hygiene via public health promoters, local radio and special activities aimed at children and women. Mobile and naval medical facilities are in place to treat people close to their new temporary settlements.

The emergency shelter kits Oxfam and counterparts distribute protect people and the surviving cattle from the blazing heat. Families received essential cooking utensils to replace those that were lost in the floods. Current assessments demonstrate the need to provide assistance to families in the medium term to start rebuilding their livelihoods through provision of seeds, agricultural tools, fishing boats and nets, restocking and cash to restore petty trade.