QUETTA, Dec 13: A UK-based charity — Islamic Relief Organization — has said that the drought situation is still serious in five districts of Balochistan — Chagai, Kharan, Pishin, Qilla Saifullah and Qilla Abdullah.

The senior Programme Coordinator of the IR, Wajahat Anwar, disclosed this while speaking at a press conference here on Thursday.

He said that people, including children, were suffering from respiratory problems, tuberculosis, and skin diseases in the drought-stricken areas due to malnutrition. The situation was particularly bad in a few villages of the Chagai district.

He said that a team of Islamic Relief Organization recently visited the seven tehsils of district Chagai hit by drought, and found that people were suffering from dangerous maladies.

He said that all the inhabitants of Killi Shahsawar Kunner, one of the affected villages, were suffering from respiratory ailments and TB.

He said malnutrition and food insecurity in the ongoing drought conditions was at an “alarming” level.

He said the visiting IR team came across a five-year-old malnourished boy who was unable to walk. The affectees were in dire need of relief, both medical and food.

He said that IR had mounted an effort to provide three months’ food supplies to 1,400 affected families of seven tehsils, including Padag, Saddar Dalbandin, Chilghazi, Ziarat Balanosh, Chaghai, Nau Kondi and Amri of Chaghai district.

He said the programme was supported and funded by the Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Commission (ECHO) and implemented through the local community, which would identify the drought affectees.

Yousaf Kosoji, a senior official of the organization, said that Muslims living in Europe and other parts of the world “give donations every year” and especially in holy moth of Ramazan, to help their poor brethren living in different countries.

The local coordinator of IR, Ghayoor Khan, said an integrated long-term programme, at a cost of Rs15 million, would be initiated for rehabilitation of the drought-hit people of district Chaghai.