Deadly diseases could bring more tragedy to flood-stricken Pakistan
By the CNN Wire Staff
Millions of children are at risk for deadly diseases
The UN has received only a fraction of the funds requested for water and medical care
Floods have killed more than 1,400 people and damaged more than 900,000 homes
The Pakistan Humanitarian Forum says much more help is needed
Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- In grief-stricken Pakistan, where relentless flooding has destroyed houses, taken lives and ruined entire villages for more than two weeks, water is both villain and savior.
About one-fifth of the country is submerged under murky water from torrential monsoon rains. Children and adults wade in the filthy waters, pleading for help.
The only recourses from the threat of waterborne illnesses are clean water and medical care -- but both are in short supply.
Polluted floodwater, officials fear, could lead to deadly diseases such as typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis and cholera -- especially among children.
Up to 3.5 million children are at high risk of deadly waterborne diseases, said Maurizio Giuliano of the United Nations' humanitarian affairs office.
The United Nations has called for $166 million for clean water and medical care, but has only received $25 million.
The World Bank has committed about $900 million, at the request of the Pakistani government. According to a written statement, funding will come from the bank's Fund for the Poorest through reprogramming of currently planned projects and reallocation of undisbursed funds from ongoing projects.
The death toll has now topped 1,400. About 900,000 homes have been damaged, and the monsoon season is only about halfway over.
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The overall global response has not been nearly enough, according to an International Rescue Committee-chaired consortium called the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum.
About $150 million had been received from nations around the world by Monday, the group said in a statement, but much more is needed.
"The international response to the disaster has been too small to even begin to effectively address the needs of survivors," said Tammy Hasselfeldt, the country director of the International Rescue Committee. "The most urgent priority is to ensure that safe water as well as medicines are available, food supplies are restored and transportation networks fixed to accelerate the delivery of desperately needed aid."
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said over the weekend that about 20 million people had been affected by the floods.
Amid the devastation, a bit of good news surfaced: The head engineer of the Sukkur barrage -- a dam whose strength was questioned as flood waters rose in the Indus River -- told CNN the dam is considered safe. The river crested on August 10, and the dam withstood the pressure.
The UN says $150 million is needed to feed up to 6 million Pakistanis, and $105 million is needed to help shelter about 2 million people left homeless.
The United States has committed about $76 million for emergency flood relief assistance.
But delivering the goods to flood victims is another nightmare in itself. With many roads and bridges reduced to rubble, travel by vehicles and foot is often impossible. The country is relying heavily on helicopters and boats to bring aid.
Families continue to stomp through mud carrying whatever belongings they can salvage, passing dead livestock, with nowhere to go.
Despite the squalor, many residents in floodplains are reluctant to leave the ruins of their homes because they fear having their land stolen.
