PESHAWAR, Aug 10: Safe water is not available even for preparation of oral re-hydration salt (ORS) because of flood in Mardan, says the World Health Organisation. Quoting the Mardan health executive district officer, the WHO said that a gastroenteritis outbreak and cholera cases had been reported in the affected areas.

The WHO has provided two emergency health kits to the health EDOs of Charsadda and Mardan, which can cater to the needs of a population of 10,000 for three months.

The recent torrential rains and flash floods reportedly killed 142 people and damaged 5,066 houses in 16 districts of the NWFP, said a report prepared by the WHO.

It said that besides bringing destruction to other sectors, the rains and floods had damaged both public and private health facilities, causing hardship to the victims in Mardan district.

Floodwater caused severe damage to the Mardan district headquarters hospital and combined military hospital, it said.

Quoting the DHQ hospital medical superintendent, the report said that there was no other option but to close all wards in the gynaecology section when floodwater inundated the building. The ward has been shifted to the medical unit of the hospital temporarily.

The floodwater also damaged the bungalows of doctors and quarters of lower staff of the hospital.

“What we are doing right now is to utilise the available resources to help the needy victims, a number of snake bite patients were also brought to the hospital,” the report said.

The MS said that except for a local non-government organisation which had provided an ambulance to the hospital and arranged food and drinking water for patients, no government or donor agency had come forward to help the hospital cope with the situation.

The report said that the Kalpani stream in Mardan district had earlier experienced floods in 1992 and 1975.

The overflowing Kalpani water had entered most localities of Mardan city, including Baghdada, Kas Korona, Mayar, Toru, Bahri Cham, Par Hoti, Mardan Khas, Serai Korona and Sikandari Korona it said. The water inundated Sabzi Mandi, the nearby Younis Stadium and then flowed into the CMH.

The hospital authorities even considered shifting patients to the CMHs in Risalpur and Nowshera, it said.

The plight of downstream localities in Hoti and its surroundings was worse, it said.