Clean Water, Shelter Critical After Flooding
July 15, 2007 — Catholic Relief Services and its partners are delivering much needed aid to thousands of families in coastal towns and hard-to-reach areas of Pakistan that were severely affected by the cyclone that swept through the southern part of the country late last month.
Residents make their way through a flooded street after heavy rain in Lahore, Pakistan on June 29, 2007.
Cyclone Yemyin touched down on June 26, 2007, causing massive flooding in local rivers and streams in the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh. The coastal towns of Turbat and remote areas of the district of Gwardar in Balochistan were among the hardest hit.
"People are wearing the same clothes after several days; water infrastructure is fully damaged, forcing people to get water from local rivers and streams that are polluted; and people are reporting incidences of scabies, diarrhea, gastro-intestinal illness. Clean water and hygiene are of critical concern," said Gul Wali Khan, emergency director with CRS Pakistan.
Overall, approximately 280,000 people were displaced and almost 2.3 million people were affected in some way. Also, an estimated 236 people were killed and hundreds injured, according to a United Nations report.
CRS Responds
As an initial response CRS is providing 7,000 households in Turbat and Gawadar (in Balochistan) and 2,000 in areas of Sindh with kitchen sets and hygiene kits, including water purification tablets, mosquito nets, jerry cans and hygiene supplies, to help prevent the spread of waterborne illnesses and skin disease. An additional 2,500 households in Balochistan will receive water and sanitation supplies, sheeting for bathing enclosure, commodes and temporary shelter kits consisting of bamboo poles, binding wire and a toolkit.
Desperate residents whose homes were destroyed by the cyclone.
The rudimentary mud brick and palm thatch homes that are standard in the region have been demolished, leaving only roofing materials to be salvaged. Widespread loss of livestock represents not only a serious threat to livelihoods, but also a major health risk, as decomposing corpses contaminate standing water.
Earlier this month, technical staff from CRS and four other aid agencies conducted assessments where shelter, water and hygiene, food and education support were identified as major needs. Displaced people also sited need for the shelter from the hot sun.
A Greater Threat to Women
Also among top concerns are the threat of waterborne illness from stagnant, muddy water and the challenges facing women who are suffering from low energy levels. For most women, the disaster has caused excessive workloads in addition to typical family responsibilities.
CRS field staff on the ground included an integrated team of men and women so that its female staff would be able to convey a more in-depth understanding and sensitivities of the challenges faced by women in the area.
"A lot of work of women has been increased due to displacement. Traditionally in this area, women take responsibility for cooking, fetching water, washing, cleaning and taking care of their children. Now, they carry the additional burden of doing this under extreme, challenging circumstances that make them more vulnerable," said Shagufda Ali, a female program manager with CRS Pakistan.
Women reported that their energy levels, and that of their children, were low due to lack of sufficient food and drinking water to fuel their excessive workload, which also includes wanting to clean the debris and recover belongings from their homes.
They also described the difficulty adjusting to the lack of privacy to which they are accustomed, especially for those living alongside other displaced families in large communal and congested spaces, such as the local school or community center.
In most of the villages visited by the team, lack of water, sanitation, bathing facilities — and also lack of awareness regarding hygiene practices — has resulted in reported increase of diarrhea and skin diseases.
In addition to these dire conditions, children here suffered another blow as most of the schools have collapsed or are severely damaged.
"Many children have lost their school bags, books, materialsand uniforms. These are costly items not easily replaced by poorer families," said Khan. "It is important to resume a routine of normalcy as quickly as possible, in a safe environment and with support that allows children to continue their education despite the conditions."
About the Assessment
The assessment team was comprised of seven staff workers from CRS, Oxfam Great Britain, Concern Worldwide, Church Worldwide and Church World Service. Divided into two groups, the assessment team visited the Kech district that had been inaccessible until July 2 due to the destruction of the Kechkor bridge.
The team crossed the river on July 2 and was one of first to meet with communities in villages within the Nasirabad, Nodez, Kalatuk and Ginna union councils.
"In all of our visits in these areas, I was reminded of the devastation after the 2006 earthquake, when houses were just buried under the mud. Here, too, people kept telling us of houses that were there, and we couldn't see any sign of that house, nothing but the mud under our feet," Khan said.
Our Work in Pakistan
CRS has been working in Pakistan since 1954. In the last two years, CRS Pakistan has enhanced its emergency activities to respond to the 2005 earthquake and reconstruction, drought and the Afghan refugee. CRS has offices in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, Quetta, Mansehra, Muzaffarabad and Bisham and has 227 staff.
