Famine in Thar claims two more lives
Atleast 120 children have lost their lives in a span of 32 days.
THARPARKAR (Dunya News) – Two more children on Monday fell prey to malnutrition in Tharparkar.
In Civil Hospital Mithi (CHM), 18-days-old Barkat and 18-months-old Khadija in Saghror village died as a result of the outbreak of waterborne diseases.
Atleast 120 children have lost their lives in a span of 32 days.
Rescue efforts have still not been started in the far flung areas of Thar whereas the basic health centers and dispensaries established in the villages lack medical facilities.
Moreover, neither medicines nor medical teams have been provided by the Sindh government to the affectees of drought-hit Thar.
Lack of resources has further added to the misery of the locals.
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.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, if the Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate among children and women is above 15 percent, it is to be considered an emergency situation.
In 2014, the Sindh government announced establishment of Thar Development Authority to address the problem, however, the draft is still pending for approval.
