It has been approximately 18 days since devastating floods swept through Takhar province, resulting in loss of life and extensive financial damage to residents. Some affected individuals report an increase in diseases in the flooded areas following the disaster, exacerbated by the lack of health centers and access to healthcare services.
Flood victims assert that the Taliban have not taken any action to address their issues, and most health centers in Takhar districts have been destroyed. According to statements from the victims, health facilities in Chal, Namak Ab, Farkhar, Ishkamish, Kalafgan, and parts of Taloqan City have been completely demolished, leaving residents facing numerous challenges.
Kefayatullah, one of the flood victims in the Farkhar district, tells the Hasht-e Subh Daily that after the recent floods, his two daughters aged 10 and 3 have contracted measles and fever.
He adds, “The day the flood came, we took refuge in the mosque. My wife’s hand is broken. Now my two children have a fever. The flood destroyed our entire house and livelihood. All the rooms are filled with water, no drinking water, no doctor, no medicine, and no one asks about our condition.”
Abdul Mahfuz, another flood victim in the Farkhar district, says that people do not have access to drinking water, electricity, or even basic medical aid.
This resident of Farkhar adds, “Our problems in the health sector are numerous. We had a health center that the flood destroyed and took away its facilities. Most mothers and children are suffering from illness, and still, neither the Taliban nor any aid organizations have provided anything to us.”
Obaidullah, a resident of Samandab village in Chal district of Takhar province, and one of the flood victims, tells the Hasht-e Subh Daily that his four children have been suffering from diarrhea for a week now, and due to the lack of health facilities and the Taliban health department’s lack of cooperation, they have not received any treatment.
He further adds, “For seven days, my children have had fever, chills, and vomiting. I don’t have the money for their treatment, and so far, no assistance has been provided for treating patients in this village.”
At the same time, doctors from the internal medicine department in Taloqan City, the capital of Takhar province, expressed concern that severe diarrhea, fever, and measles are caused by contaminated water and unsuitable weather conditions. If these patients are not attended to promptly, it may lead to their death.
Mirza Mohammad Sadat, a doctor of internal medicine at a private clinic in Taloqan City, speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily about the response and prevention of these diseases, says that Taliban health officials should have provided basic medical assistance on the very days when the floods occurred.
Mr. Sadat adds, “The best way to prevent measles is through vaccination. If not addressed, patients’ body water will decrease, and dehydration will lead to their death.”
This doctor criticizes the lack of necessary management in the Taliban health department in Takhar, stating that medicines and basic health facilities were already provided by relief agencies in the health sector and should have been distributed by the Taliban to the people to prevent the spread of these diseases.
Taliban health officials in Takhar acknowledge the problems faced by flood victims in the affected districts, stating that some diseases are on the rise.
Mohammad Asif Ahmadi, the head of the Taliban public health department in Takhar, says that the treatment process for recent flood victims started on Saturday and will address the people’s health issues with the cooperation of relief agencies.
Nearly three weeks after the devastating floods in the districts and parts of Taloqan City, the affected individuals are still living in open spaces without the barest essentials for survival.
During this time, the Taliban have taken no steps to assist or cooperate with the flood victims in these areas, and the majority of them have no shelter.
Takhar flood victims are complaining of poor health conditions and lack of access to health services. At the same time, the World Health Organization has declared the situation in flood-affected provinces of Afghanistan as critical, calling for increased humanitarian aid to these areas.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced that following rainfall and flash floods on Friday and Saturday of last week in the provinces of Ghor and Faryab, at least 134 people have lost their lives, and 7,870 houses and 700 hectares of land have been destroyed.
OCHA adds that the most urgent and pressing needs of flood victims in Ghor and Faryab are food, water, and shelter.
It is worth mentioning that recent floods in Badakhshan and Baghlan provinces have also resulted in significant loss of life and extensive financial damage to the residents. Most recently, floods have claimed the lives of 10 members of a family in Fayzabad City, the capital of Badakhshan province.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
سیلابزدهگان تخار به خدمات صحی دسترسی ندارند | روزنامه ۸صبح