In Pakistan, the Catholic Church helps drought-stricken Sindh
Islamabad, 11 March 2014: The Catholic Church of Pakistan has organised prayer vigils
and raised funds for the victims of a recent drought that has hit Sindh. On Sunday,
a special celebration was held for more than 2,000 villages in Pakistan's southernmost
province.
Various parishes raised money for immediate action and relief operations
on behalf of affected communities, which are increasingly at risk of hunger and disease.
Volunteers are working on first aid projects to deal with the devastating
crisis that has caused the death of over 130 children in the last three months.
Pakistani
Prime Minister of Mian Nawaz Sharif, along with senior government officials in Sindh
province, arrived in the southeastern district of Thar where they met local residents.
The
area is home to the country's largest Hindu community outside of India with more than
2.3 million people, most of them unskilled labour, often in agriculture.
Central
and local authorities said they would make every effort to deal with the crisis, but
the situation is such that action so far has proven ineffective.
In Bhari,
the city's mayor announced a 200 million rupee fund for residents, through a joint
project promoted by civil society groups dedicated to helping children.
On
Twitter, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari leader called for "doctors
and paramedics" to "be sent to Taluka Hospitals where they are most needed."
Pakistan
has seen before major natural disasters like earthquakes, floods and regular drought
resulting in famine.
Hospital sources in Tharparkar District report more than
120 deaths in the past three months, with 32 children dying of malnutrition in February,
even though official Sindh Government estimates continue to put the number of dead
at less than half of that.
According to Mithi Taluka hospital, 38 children
died from lack of food and water in December; another 42 victims died in January and
36 in February. So far in March, at least five children have died.
Because
of the drought, local residents have reported a drastic reduction in the size of cattle
herds, as well as losses of camels and peacocks.
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim
Ali Shah dismissed livestock officials for failing to cope with the situation. However,
in Thar district, the provincial government made matters worse when it banned the
sale of cattle because of the animals' poor health.
"Pneumonia and malnutrition"
are the main causes of death in cattle and are due to "neglect by local government
and public health officials, police and livestock officials."Source: AsiaNews