People of Thar continue to suffer due to Sindh govt's hollow promises
Plans announced by the PPP-led Sindh government are still a 'dream' for the locals.
THARPARKAR (Web Desk) – Announcements made by the Sindh government to mitigate problems of people of Thar have still not been implemented. Recently, at least 22 children have died from malnutrition in different areas of Tharparkar.
Tharparkar district in the famous Thar Desert spans over 120,000 square miles across the Indo-Pak subcontinent. Though only 15 per cent of the desert lies in Pakistan, high rates of child mortality largely due to acute malnutrition pose a major challenge to the local authorities, humanitarian organisations and civil society groups working in the area.
The plans of Benazir Bhutto Dastarkhawan, Mithi Nursing Hospital, Thar Water Management Board and Thar Food Bank announced by the PPP-led Sindh government are still a dream for the locals.
Life is tough for people living in Tharparkar. Extreme heat in summer, scarcity of food, unsafe and saline drinking water and lack of access to basic health facilities have an adverse effect on the life and wellbeing of communities.
People are generally poor, and lack of rain affects their main sources of livelihood, which are agriculture and livestock.
As a result, under-nutrition is a common problem among children and women.
The major problem faced by locals in Thar is food shortage. To deal with this, a special programme “Nutrition Support” was announced by the authorities.
A doctor at special center established for rehabilitation of malnourished children at Civil Hospital Mithi on Saturday told Dunya News that 483 children were admitted in the hospital in 2014 whereas 403 malnourished minors have been brought to the hospital since start of 2016.
“Last year, nine children expired and 12 kids have died this year till date,” doctor Pon Kumar said.
Moreover, heirs of more than hundred deceased children who died last year due to malnutrition and other diseases have still not received the compensations promised by the provincial authorities.
“We didn’t receive budget for the compensation. Only Finance Department knows the reason behind the delay,” Additional Commissioner Tharparkar Saleem Baloch said.
According to the WHO guidelines, if the Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate among children and women is above 15 per cent, it is to be considered an emergency situation.
During the National Nutrition Survey conducted in 2011, the GAM rate in the province of Sindh is 17.5 per cent and the Severely Acute Malnutrition (SAM) is 6.6 per cent.
Chronic Malnutrition, which could cause stunting, is 49.8 per cent. The GAM rate in Tharparkar District is even higher at 22.7 percent and the Chronic Malnutrition is 45.9 per cent.
These statistics present a serious situation and calls for a swift action by the government and its partners to improve the nutritional status of children and women.
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