Pakistan floods impacted nearly 16 million children: U.N.
The Hindu
The situation is extremely grim in flood-hit areas with malnourished children battling diarrhoea, dengue fever, and several painful skin diseases, Unicef representative Abdullah Fadil said
An estimated 16 million children have been impacted by “super floods” in Pakistan with at least 3.4 million of them needing immediate lifesaving support, the U.N. has said.
The situation is extremely grim in flood-hit areas with malnourished children battling diarrhoea, dengue fever, and several painful skin diseases, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) representative Abdullah Fadil said in a statement on September 16.
Mr. Fadil, who recently concluded a two-day visit to the flood-affected areas of Sindh, said floods had now claimed the lives of at least 528 children.
Also read: Flood losses likely to slash Pakistan’s GDP to 3% from 5%
“Each and every one of these deaths is a tragedy that could have been averted,” he said.
“An estimated 16 million children have been impacted by these ‘super floods’ and at least 3.4 million girls and boys remain in need of immediate, lifesaving support.
“Young children are living out in the open with their families, with no drinking water, no food, and no livelihood, exposed to a wide range of new flood-related risks and hazards - from damaged buildings, drowning in flood waters and snakes. The vital infrastructure that children so rely on has been destroyed and damaged, including thousands of schools, water systems and health facilities,” he said.