Death toll from Pakistan floods reaches near 1,200

The death toll from floods in Pakistan has reached near 1,200 as 19 more people lost their lives in the last 24 hours.

At least 1,186 people have died since June 14 from the rains and floods, Geo News report citing National Disaster Management Authority's (NDMA's) statement. According to the report, 12 people have died in Sindh, four in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and three in Balochistan in the last 24 hours. The deceased include nine children.

The disaster management authority said 256 people were injured in flood-related incidents across the country.

The flash floods have badly impacted 80 districts of the country.

The NDMA report said that since June 14, at least 256 people have died in Balochistan, 268 in KP, 188 in Punjab, 22 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

33 million people - including approximately 16 million children - have been affected by this year's heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan, which have brought devastating rains, floods and landslides.

"The heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan which started in mid-July 2022 are continuing in many parts of the country and have affected 116 districts (75 per cent) out of 154 districts in Pakistan. The most affected province is Sindh, followed by Balochistan," the WHO said in a report.

"As of 25 August 2022, 33+ million people have been affected. 6.4+ million people are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 421 000 refugees. Over a thousand lives have been lost and almost 15000 people injured," the UN agency added.

According to WHO, health facilities in the country have been severely affected by the unprecedented flood situation.

"As of August 28, 2022, 888 health facilities have been damaged in the country of which 180 of them are completely damaged. Access to health facilities, health care workers, and essential medicines and medical supplies remain the main health challenges for now," the WHO said.

The global health body said the country's health system is already battling multiple concurrent health threats including COVID-19, and outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, measles, leishmaniasis and HIV.

Even before the current floods, there was a significant disparity in access to health services between rural and urban areas. The current situation will highly likely increase the spread of disease especially if response capacities are hindered.

On Tuesday, the "2022 Pakistan Floods Response Plan (FRP)" was jointly launched by the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations, simultaneously in Islamabad and Geneva, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said.

The FRP is being launched against the backdrop of devastating rains, floods and landslides that have impacted more than 33 million people in different parts of Pakistan, OCHA said in a statement.

(ANI)