Syed Ali Shah, Faiq Ali Bugti :
The number of cholera patients reached 2,640 in Balochistan’s Dera Bugti district on Wednesday. “Women and children are also among the patients”, Dr. Azam Bugti, the District Health Officer (DHO) Dera Bugti told Quetta Voice via telephone.
The patients were admitted to government-run hospitals in the Pir Koh and other parts of the district. The Balochistan government has already declared an emergency to cope with the situation. Azam Bugti has however said that the cholera outbreak has caused six deaths in the district.
Although, independent sources and political figures the number at 24 in the aftermath of the cholera outbreak in the Dera Bugti district. “Cholera has caused 24 deaths, we have all the details”, Senator Sarfaraz Bugti of the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) said.
Sarfaraz Bugti calls for a permanent solution to the water scarcity issue
Mr. Bugti urged the provincial and federal governments to evolve a strategy to address the water scarcity issue on a permanent basis. Besides Pir Koh, the water shortage issue exists in other areas of Dera Bugti, Mr. Bugti said.
Residents of the area have lashed out at the provincial and federal governments for their failure to provide clean drinking water to the people of Dera Bugti. “We provided a gas facility to the entire country and rulers even failed to provide drinking water”, Muhammad Bakhsh Bugti, an elder of the area said.
PHE, FC, Administration providing water to Pir Koh
The Public Health Engineering (PHE), Frontier Corps (FC), and civil administration have been providing clean drinking water to residents of the Pir Koh since the outbreak of cholera.
Chief Secretary Balochistan, Abdul Aziz Uqaili has also chaired a high-level meeting to review the relief operation and evolve a strategy to address the water scarcity issue on a permanent basis. The CS has directed PHE, Planning and Development Department and civil administration to submit recommendations regarding the solution to the water scarcity issue in the district.
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