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SWABI Over 500 cases of waterborne diseases have been reported in the district after the recent torrential rain and floods, the welfare wing of a political party claimed here on Tuesday.
'Various waterborne and skin diseases are spreading among the flood victims in Ismalia, Kalu Khan, Sheikh Jana and Adeena areas,' said Waheed Murad of the Al-Khidmat Foundation, welfare wing of the Jamaat-i-Islami.
Talking to the media, he said that they had given medicines to about 1,000 patients and majority of them complained about water-related diseases as the flood-hit areas lacked potable water 'and the government has failed to provide immediate assistances to the flood victims'.
He said that they had set up a medical camp to provide free treatment to the people. 'In the medical camp 1,500 patients have been treated during the last two-day,' he said, adding that two water tanks were supplying drinking water to people in Ismalia, the worst affected area.
District Health Officer Dr Gul Mohammad told this correspondent that they had constituted three mobile teams that would visit different areas to provide treatment to the people. He said lady health workers had been deputed to educate people on waterborne diseases.
'We are giving tablets to the affected people that are used for purification of drinking water. Our health teams are also educating them to take precautionary measures,' he said, adding that the Unicef had provided the district health department medicines to meet the patients' demands.
Medical experts said that the government should take precautionary measures to save the affected people from waterborne diseases in the affected areas. People were facing shortage of food and clean water in the affected areas, they added.
Meanwhile, the affected people were seen trying to retrieve goods from their inundated houses. No government machinery was available in the affected areas to remove the debris and repair damaged water supply lines, said the survivors.
No official estimates about the affected people and destroyed houses are available as yet. Officials concerned say that the chief minister had ordered the Revenue Department to submit a detailed report on the losses immediately. Majority of the houses have been collapsed or damaged in the areas.
'The flood swallowed homes along the bank of Kalu Khan Adeena Badri and destroyed crops. The mud-houses collapsed, rendering more people homeless,' said Dildar Khan, PML-N district general-secretary, at a relief camp. The affected people need relief assistance from the government, he added.
Muhammad Raiz, a survivor, said that gushing water had washed away half of his newly constructed house. He called for financial assistance from the government.
The floods had affected the entire population, but the people were yet to get proper official support, said Imtaiz Khan.
The flood victims said that they had shifted their families to the houses of their relatives in other areas.
They appealed to the federal government for announcing a comprehensive package for their rehabilitation, alleging that the NWFP government had failed to help them.
