Syed Ali Shah :
Senator Sarfaraz Bugti of the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) has claimed that the cholera outbreak has claimed 20 lives including women and children. Mr. Bugti took to the social media network Twitter and demanded of Chief Minister Balochistan, Mir Quddus Bizenjo to take notice of the situation in the Pir Koh.
However, the District Health Officer (DHO) Dera Bugti, Muhammad Azam Bugti contradicted Bugti’s claim and said that so far six people including two women and two children have died since the outbreak of cholera.
“12 people had died due to cholera till May 10th”, Sarfaraz Bugti told Quetta Voice via telephone from the Baker area of Dera Bugti. The remaining eight people lost their lives up till now, he explained. Sarfaraz Bugti also provided a list of the people who died because of cholera.
20 died including children due to the cholera epidemic spiralling out of control in Pir Koh, #DeraBugti CM @AQuddusBizenjo is urgently requested to take stock of the situation and immediately lend assistance to the afflicted. People are suffering and protesting but no one cares! pic.twitter.com/YKX7gg7Gxj
— Senator Sarfraz Bugti (@PakSarfrazbugti) May 14, 2022
“Situation under control in Dera Bugti”, Farah Azeem Shah
Chief Minister Balochistan, Mir Quddus Bizenjo had approved the release of Rs.300 million to address the water scarcity issue in the district. “The situation is under control now”, Farah Azeem Shah, the Spokesperson of the Balochistan government said. She said the government has taken effective measures to address the water scarcity problem in the area.
Hitherto, 2100 patients were admitted to a government-run hospital in the Pir Koh area of Dera Bugti, DHO Azam Bugti informed. The provincial government has already declared an emergency in the area to cope with the situation.
The major reason behind the spread of cholera was using contaminated water. The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) was providing water to the Pir Koh area from 12 kilometers away through pipes. Water pipes are three decades old, which was also the main cause behind the spread of cholera, Azam Bugti said.
Pir Koh houses a 35,000 population
Pir Koh, a mountainous village in the resource-rich Dera Bugti district houses 35,000 people. Residents of the area also staged a protest demonstration to mount pressure on the government to make sure provision of clean drinking water. “Government has failed to provide water”, Muhammad Nabi Bugti, an elder of the area said.
“For last more than 60 years, we are providing gas to the entire country but we have clean water to drink”, Mr. Bugti lamented. He demanded of the provincial and federal governments to ensure the provision of clean drinking water to the area.
