BADIN: October 7, 2011. (By Abbas Kassar) The government of Pakistan has taken no measures to prevent deaths of flood affected people in Sindh as it continues to fail to provide food, medicines and clean drinking water to around 8,8 flood affected people of all 23 districts of the province as a result, more than 1000 people have died of house collapse, drowning in gushing rain/drain water, being electrocuted, spread of epidemics of gastro, malaria and other water borne diseases and hunger. According to National Disaster Management Authority, 3 million people have been inflicted with various diseases mostly children and women. In a report made public 2 days back NDNA says “because of no proper medical arrangements one million people have fallen ill since last 20 days." It has apprehended that as many as 40,000 women (who are said to be pregnant) can die if they are not properly given medical care. In its earlier report it had alleged that government has failed to come to rescue and then relief to flood affected people. So far 1042 people have died throughout the province in a month long rains that played havoc and thereafter due to hunger and diseases. According to initial report made public by National Disaster Management Authority and UNO before media in Karachi on 9 September 2011, a total of 4 million acres of land including 1.7 lands with standing crops have been has been inundated causing damage to 80% cash crops. Sindh government spokesman Sharjeel Memon has said that 8.9 million people have been affected.9 districts of Sindh including Badin, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Thatta,Tando Muhammad Khan,Tando Allahyar, Sanghar, Tharparkar and Benazirabad were hit hard where the rain and canal/outfall drains breach water was still standing causing spread of water borne diseases that are taking toll on daily basis as the authorities have totally failed to provide health cover to the teeming millions especially children who are dying of hunger, gastro, malaria, flu and skin and other diseases. No day passes when more than dozen people do not die of diseases while the federal as well as provincial governments appear to be indifferent with the suffering and pathos of the ill-fated people. The National Disaster Management Authority has alleged that government was holding Rs.5 billion as balance from last year's flood fund and said that if this amount was released and used on giving food and health care to affected people many a precious lives could have been saved. Meanwhile former prime minister and leader of the opposition Mian Nawaz Sharif has also alleged that government of president Asif Zardari has ignored nearly 9 million flood affected people of Sindh ( despite fact that the president himself belongs from Sindh) and have left the helpless people on mercy of hunger and diseases. He has said that prime minister Yousuf Raza Jeelani was keeping Rs.19 billion in his discretionary fund but was not releasing amount from this fund to alleviate sufferings of the affected people; It is a cruel joke with 9 million flood affected people passing days and nights under miserable condition, that the medicines worth millions of rupees were damaged outside office of director general health services Sindh instead of handing them to aid workers. Furthermore the medicines brought from Egypt on 3 rd. October worth Rs. 5 million were given to Peoples Primary Health Institute ( a body of ruling party workers) who have sold same in market. These medicines were meant for flood affected people but were handed to PPHI without approval of competent authority. To add further miseries the government says that they have asked medicines from India and France will reach in second week of October which means until then many hundreds more are to die. There has been no or little arrangement of medical care either by the government or NGOs. There has been no arrangement of temporary latrines as a result people especially women feel humiliation. In fact in view of dearth of items of food, drinking water and medical care flood affected people are humiliated and are trying hard to save lives of their children. In many places affected people are forced to drink the stagnant rain water which is causing more diseases. This water has turned blue and brackish. According to statement of Sindh Chief Minister that 70% damage was done by breaches in outfall drains but due to inefficiency of government these breaches have still not been plugged despite fact that 25 days have passed when it had rained last. As a result people of 9 worst hit districts were not able to return to their devastated villages as area was still under 4 to 7 feet water. Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) which is most hated among people of Badin as this very LBOD had brought devastations in past many occasions. Due to its wrong design the outfall drain which carries saline and drain water of Punjab and upper Sindh districts, flows backward carrying the sea water back to inundate the fertile belt of lower Sindh. Pakistan government had taken no lesson from last year's floods that had rendered almost 7 million people in Sindh alone as homeless and in all 1.8 millions in whole country. Many affected of last year's floods have not been rehabilitated as yet. Government also turned its ears on weather warnings in early August this year of torrential rains and did take to steps to make arrangements for any emergency plans. The President of Pakistan Asif Zardari had not visited the flood affected area of Sindh which makes the size of Egypt and half of England except for once at his own district Benazirabad for the purpose of photo session while the chief minister of Sindh and his whole big cabinet of the size of China has been locked in provincial capital city Karachi holding meetings of the issues of lesser nature. President Zardari continued to visiting foreign countries including China, Tajkistan and other central Asian countries caring no or little about the sufferings of flood hit people as flood was playing havoc with people. Sindh government has said that the province has received losses of more than 550 billion rupees but he did not spell out what measures his government was taking to recoup these losses. According to independent sources crops of cotton, sugar cane, rice, vegetables and fruit sown on 2.4 million acres of land had been swept away in rain and drain breach waters. A parliamentary delegation that was headed by former federal minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and that had visited flood hit districts of Sindh, had said in a press conference in Karachi on 21 September that no one had died of hunger or drowning . Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah had also said earlier that no one had died of hunger or drowning but this scribe has a list of at least one dozen people who had died of hunger while the list of those drowned in gushing water is longer than 150. Of 1044 dead from 9th August (first rain downpour to 5th October 2011) majority is of children and also a number of pregnant women had died of receiving no medicines or medical treatment. Though it is now 25 days since there is no rain yet the affected people specially children and women as well elderly continue to die due to no foof no medicine. There is wide criticism on distribution of ration and other food items to affected people in relief camps or sitting on the road sites and canal banks as local media is full of complaints of political interference in the flood relief. The NGOs and officials of local administration provide ration to such persons who bring a Sifarshi Chit from local PPP Jiala( ruling party workers) and in most cases only favorite ones find the way to get Chit. There are wide spread reports that in Badin Jialas and NGO workers have filled their homes and warehouses with relief goods received by them from state or foreign donor agencies. These hundreds of thousands of hungry people when see ay vehicles approaching they rush to get the food first and in stampede many are injured. In Jhol town of Sanghar district an MPA of ruling party Rana Sattar filled his warehouses with relief items and when the hungry people came to know they rushed to his go downs to get food so that they can remain alive for few more days but the guards of MPA opened fire on them killing two 2 hungry men 12 years Ghulam Hussain Shar and Ghulam Rasool Mari. The MP has not been arrested because of his links with president Zardari.In Badin while standing in a long row outside NADRA office to get the Pakistan Card through which one can get Rs.10, 000 from bank, an old man Umar Mallah died of stampede. There are other instances where police have baton charged the hungry when they rushed to get food. The interesting fact is that during more than one month long rain and floods no federal or provincial minister is seen sharing the miseries and pathos of the affected people. All except a few have kept themselves away from their constituencies out of rage of people. Badin district has been hit worst with 1 million out of 1.4 million population being affected and more than 2,00,000 homes destroyed people are sitting on road sites or on canal banks as they have been ejected from relief camps which were set up in schools. They watch truckloads of relief goods passing through them but not stopping as the district administration has issued orders that all relief material be brought first to District administrator office. However from DCO office the relief materials finds its way to ruling party MPA and other Jialas who give same to their own favorite men mostly unaffected while the ill-fated remain hungry. It was astonishing that government continues to tell lies to the nation and international community. On 4th October President Zardari held video conference in which his spokesman has said that 300,000 tents have been given to the homeless affected people in 7 districts including Badin, Mirpurkhas, Benazirabad, Umerkot, Tando Muhammad Khan and Sanghar but in Badin where Sindh minister Sharjeel Memon claims to having given 43000 tents, as this scribe has visited the hundreds of affected people sitting on road sites on Badin-Golarchi road, Badin, Tando Bago road, Badin Talhar road and Badin to Kadhan road has seen not more than 100 tents. The leaders of human rights organizations including Aslam Rana advocate and president of Peace and Human Rights Trust Pakistan chapter, Dr. Ashotham provincial coordinator special task force Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Dr. Sarwan Kumar head of AADRISH organization, Dr, Illahi Bux of ARADA, Abdul Jabbar Rehmani of Fundamental Human Rights Org, Roshan Sunder Chandio advocate and president of Mazloom Bachayo Committee, Bhagwandas advocate,Muhammad Moosa Jokhyo a writer, Jam Saqi former first secretary of Communist Party of Pakistan, Ms. Zahida Detho, Ms. Nasreen Shakeel, professor Ms. Amar Sindhu and others have made appeal to international community to rush the food items and medicines to millions of flood affected people of Sindh who are living under open sky in miserable conditions to save their lives as the present government of Pakistan has totally ignored them and was unwilling to save their lives.