UN: Millions of children, women at risk after cataclysmic floods in Pakistan
September 1, 2022, 12:00 pm

UN: Millions of children, women at risk after cataclysmic floods in Pakistan

A boy crosses a flooded street, with the help of a wire fastened on both ends, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Charsadda, Pakistan August 27, 2022. (Reuters)

Millions of children and pregnant women are at risk in Pakistan's flood-hit regions and need urgent humanitarian assistance, the United Nation's International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said.

UNICEF said in a report that Children face waterborne diseases, drowning and malnutrition due to flooding in the South Asian nation.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said, nearly 600,000 pregnant women in flood-hit regions were in dire need of medical care and mental health services.

A report by the agency said: "Up to 73,000 women expected to deliver next month will need skilled birth attendants, newborn care, and support.”

Millions of women and girls also face the risk of gender-based violence, UNPF said, highlighting threats in regions where families are living in makeshift tent shelters with no access to toilets and proper sanitation.

Children are particularly prone to water-borne diseases like diarrhea, respiratory infection and skin diseases, UNICEF said.

Pakistan planning minister: floods cost at least $10 billion

According to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority, nearly 1,200 people have lost their lives, while more than a million houses have been destroyed or damaged since mid-June.

According to state meteorologists, the South Asian country, which is among the top 10 nations in the world vulnerable to climate change, has received over 200% more rains this year than average monsoon showers.

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