A family from Sindh, displaced due to the recent catastrophic flooding in the country, has claimed that their daughter – a toddler – died at a flood relief camp in the Kot Diji area of the Khairpur district due to a lack of basic supplies such as food, water and mosquito nets.
The father of the victim, Mumtaz Gopang, told reporters that his daughter passed away on Monday night. “She was hungry and ill for several days […] but no one helped us and my daughter died right in front of my eyes.”
Gopang, who has been staying at a relief camp established at the Kot Diji City High School, complained that there was no potable water, food, tents or mosquito nets at the camps.
Kot Diji Assistant Commissioner (AC) Asim Abbasi, while confirming the incident, said that the toddler had been sick for the past few days and was moved to the hospital by the district administration.
“But her parents, instead of staying at the hospital, immediately returned back to the relief camp,” he said, adding that he had visited the camp as well but couldn’t find the family as they had all left for the burial of the child.
Abbasi also rejected the claims about the lack of food supplies, saying that he was ensuring the victims were provided weekly rations.
Meanwhile, the family of the victim and other people staying at the flood camp took to the streets and blocked the road for traffic. They chanted slogans against the district administration and urged Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take notice of the incident. They also demanded timely provision of relief items.
Later in the day, PPP lawmaker Dr Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto reached out to the toddler’s family and extended condolences to them. She dispatched a team to the site with tents and other relief items for the flood victims along with Rs200,000 compensation for the grieving family.
Separately, a man and his daughter died under mysterious conditions along the roadside in Mehar town of Dadu district on Tuesday.
According to reports, Ali Hassan and his 24-year-old daughter were found unconscious by the flood victims. The officials shifted them to the Chandka Medical Hospital in Larkana where they were pronounced dead on arrival.
Talking to the media, Assistant Commissioner Mohsin Sheikh confirmed the deaths and said that both were suffering from high fever, refuting the claims of flood victims that they were not provided with food and ration.
Dadu Deputy Commissioner Syed Murtaza Shah took strong notice of the incident and directed the Dadu DHO and revenue officials to submit a detailed report.
Families displaced due to devastating floods have complained that they are facing hunger and fatal diseases. According to reports, as many as 15 more people – mostly children – had lost their lives due to the outbreak of different diseases.
