In Pakistan, 10 million people live without access to safe water

At 6 months from catastrophic floods that hit PakistanMore than 10 million people, including children, live in flood-affected areas without safe drinking water, leaving families with no alternatives but to drink and use potentially contaminated water.

Even before the floods, although the country’s drinking water supply system covered 92% of the population, only 36% of the water was considered safe for consumption. The floods have damaged most of the water systems in the affected areas, forcing more than 5.4 million people, including 2.5 million children, to depend only on contaminated water from ponds and wells.

“Safe drinking water is not a privilege, it’s a basic human right,” he explains Abdullah Fadil, Unicef ​​Representative in Pakistan. “Every day, millions of girls and boys in Pakistan fight a losing battle against preventable waterborne diseases and resulting malnutrition. We need continued support from our donors to provide safe water, build toilets and ensure vital sanitation for these children and families who need it most”.

Prolonged shortages of clean water and sanitation, coupled with the continued proximity of vulnerable households to stagnant bodies of water, are contributing to the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dengue fever and malaria. At the same time, open defecation has increased by more than 14% in flood-affected regions. To make matters worse, the lack of adequate sanitation disproportionately affects children, adolescent girls and women, who are further at risk of feeling shame and negative consequences when defecating in the open.

Unsafe water and poor sanitation are the main causes of malnutrition. Associated illnesses, such as diarrhea, prevent children from getting the vital nutrients they need. Additionally, malnourished children are more susceptible to waterborne diseases due to already weakened immune systems, which only perpetuates a vicious cycle of malnutrition and infections. tragically, one third of all child deaths globally are attributable to malnutrition and half of all cases of malnutrition are linked to infections caused by lack of access to safe water, adequate sanitation and good sanitation. In Pakistan, malnutrition is associated with half of all child deaths. In flood-affected areas, more than 1.5 million boys and girls are already severely malnourished and the number is set to increase in the absence of safe water and adequate sanitation.

Unicef ​​has been on the ground with its partners since day one of the climate emergency. In the immediate aftermath of the floods, numerous hand pumps and water storage facilities were installed. Over the past six months, Unicef ​​and its partners have provided safe drinking water to nearly 1.2 million children and families and distributed hygiene kits to more than 1.3 million people. The NGO has supported the rehabilitation or reconstruction of water supply structures, benefiting more than 450,000 people.

On the occasion of World Water DayUnicef ​​urgently calls on governments, donors and partners to:

• allocate resources to restore access to safe drinking water and sanitation
• investing in safe and climate-resilient drinking water supply facilities and the use of renewable technologies such as solar-powered pumping systems

It is imperative that the voices and needs of children in Pakistan are prioritized at all costs and that children are placed at the center of all post-flood recovery and resilience plans,” said Fadil.

Six months after the devastating floods, more than 9.6 million children still need access to essential social services. Unicef’s current $173.5 million appeal to provide life-saving support to women and children affected by the floods is less than 50 percent funded.