KARACHI: Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers triggered the disaster that shows no sign of abating, has already caused unparalleled damage to the country, specifically Sindh province where authorities said more than 17600 educational institutions have been destroyed or damaged.
Sindh Education and Culture Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah expressed fear that over 2 million children could drop out of schools due to floods in the affected areas of Sindh.
As many as 33 million people of the 220 million Pakistanis have been affected in some way by the floods that swept away houses, roads, railways and bridges and submerged around 4 million acres of farmland. Pakistan has estimated the financial loss so far at around $30 billion.
According to statistics from the province’s education administration, up to 40% of the schools, or more than 17,600 educational institutions, were damaged.
5,619 schools were totally destroyed and up to 12,000 others suffered partial damage as a result of the devastating floods, according to data from the education department,
2,500 schools around the province have been transformed into relief camps, housing more than 65,000 families in addition to the destruction.
The education administration stated that it is feared that the setback could cause a stunning 50% decline in enrolment in government institutions, which will prevent thousands of children from receiving their basic education.
Moreover, according to official figures, 496 of the 1,399 killed so far in the floods have been children. Some aid groups fear that they will now be particularly vulnerable to sickness likely to spread as waters begin to recede.
Access to emergency medical support has been seriously hampered by blocked roads, damaged buildings and collapsed bridges.
UNICEF said the floods had impacted a total of 16 million children, and that out of the total, 3.4 million children needed “life-saving support”.
“There is therefore a risk of many more child deaths,” UNICEF said in a statement, adding that the situation could deteriorate with the winter just eight weeks away.
