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Pakistan blames the city deadly cholera outbreak on government neglect | Global development

Rukia Bibi fell ill two weeks ago. Two-year-constantly vomited; her father Mohammed Iqbal, took her to basic health block in Pier Koch, poor town with a population of 40 000 in the mountains of Balochistan, southwestern Pakistan.

Iqbal was told in first it is his daughter had malaria, but when the treatment did not help, help him took her to another doctor who She said she had blood problems.

“From Pier Koch to the district hospital in Dera Bugti, no doctor knew she had cholera. Not one even knew what cholera was,” Iqbal told The Guardian.

Rukia died last Wednesday. According to local sources, of Saturday 27 people already dead – 18 of them children – in a cholera outbreak associated with contaminated water that started in Pier Koch.

government of Pakistan stated that official death the fee is seven people, which is about 2,000 people. people has so far been infected, a figure disputed by local activists who demand more than 5000 people got sick.

Workers cleaning the water tank in Pier Koch. Photo: provided of Gulzar Bugti

As Pakistan faces a heatwave that has gripped many of South Asia, Pir Ko faced with cholera outbreak and water shortage crisis.

Mohammed Iqbal couldn’t drink water for rituals for the funeral of your baby.

Pakistan prime minister Shahbaz Sharif, ordered “emergency relief measures” for Pier Koch; Main minister of Balochistan, Quddus Bizenjo, announced Rs 300 million (£1.2 million) for security of clean drinking water. But people in Pir Koch says they were left with dirty water for years.

State Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDCL) in charge of purifying city water from a spring about 26 km away and sending it to people via pipelines.

Dirty and dirty water tank was cleaned by the administration after the outbreak, but the local people who spoke to the Guardian said it came too late.

One said: “The state has long left us one for mercy of God and he has interests in exploitation of Natural resources. When people we dying, there were no representatives of the authorities at the scene.”

When did the cholera outbreak start? last month, the Pira Koch hospital was not equipped for diagnosing patients.

This was stated by the district health officer, Dr. Azam Bugti. first case was reported on April 17, but took another week before confirm outbreak as samples were to be sent to Pakistan’s capital for testing.

“Water crisis in Pier Coe decades, and after the drought issue escalated. Absence of rain it year It has caused nearby drying ponds up. Animals and people drink the same water here in Pir Koch,” Bugti said.

“We started treating patients after test results,” he said. “Until seven people lost their lives. The situation was soon under control.”

cholera patient in    Pier Koch
cholera patient in Pier Koch. Activists called the number of cases double in official figure. Photo: provided of Gulzar Bugti

Main secretary of Balochistan and the World Health Organization team visited area on Thursday, said Bugti, after online campaign was started by local students.

Gulzar Bugti – not a relative – was home from the University in Lahore when the crisis began. He and other students and family participants started online campaign and took to the streets to call for helpaccusing the administration of To do nothing.

“People didn’t even have water for full ablution, i.e. last rite for in dead. There was no clean water to drink and no power active develop an emergency plan,” he said.

Bugti and his friends raised money provide storage facilities and tank trucks for water delivery. He rejected death fare issued by the authorities, giving list of 26 names, 18 of them children under seven.

His group says about 5000 cholera patients in Pir Koch – more how double in official figure.

“We demand in government to come up with along-term plan to overcome this humanitarian crisis,” he said.

Water carrier provided online campaign.
Water tank provided through online campaign run by local students. Photo: provided of Gulzar Bugti

In a tweet on Sunday, prime minister said Bugti: “We’re working with provincial government find a permanent solution to the issue so people not face This problem again. Projects on clean drinking water will soon It will be completed.”

Cholera spreads mainly through dirty water and poor sanitation. It is especially dangerous for children causes rapid dehydration due to diarrhea and vomiting and affects an estimated 3-5 million people. people all over the world, killing from 28,800 to 130,000 people a year. Although it is classified as a pandemic, it is rare in high income countries.

Pakistan minister for climate change, Sherri Rehman recently stated that Pakistan is among the most water-stressed countries. countries in in the world and are highly vulnerable to climate stress.

The main dams of the country are located on “dead level right now, and sources of water is scarce and also contested,” Rehman told CNN, adding, “This is an all-encompassing existential crisis and should be taken seriously.”

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Derrick Santistevan
Derrick Santistevan
Derrick is the Researcher at World Weekly News. He tries to find the latest things going around in our world and share it with our readers.

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