Health experts fear the spread of water-borne diseases in rain-hit areas of the country, especially Sindh.

For the past week or so, Pakistan has been experiencing a record-breaking monsoon season resulting in flooding of several areas of the country. Sindh has been the hardest hit among all the provinces. All records of recorded rainfalls have been broken in many cities of Sindh. Especially Karachi has been a story of unprecedented devastation.

Heavy rains in the country have put the millions of Pakistanis at the risk of contracting infections like malaria, dengue, typhoid, etc. As the water drainage system is almost nonexistent in Karachi and various other cities, the rise in the number of water-borne diseases -caused by pathogenic microorganisms that most commonly are transmitted in contaminated fresh water- is almost inevitable.

With hundreds of villages, towns, and cities covered with ankle-deep water, the most serious problems faced by the masses is the non-availability of clean drinking water. This is one big reason why the hospitals should brace themselves and be ready to counter diseases caused by drinking dirty water. Diseases like acute hepatitis and diarrhea are expected to peak in the current scenario.

The governments, both provincial and federal, need to step up and take concrete steps in revamping the decades-old water drainage system of the cities on an emergency basis.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has shown his concern over the problems faced by the public in rain-hit regions of the country and has directed the relevant authorities to resolve the public's issues on an urgent basis. PM has also promised to solve the major Karachi problems as soon as possible. But the truth is that the public has had enough of the hollow promises for the past several years, and now all it demands that such promises be fulfilled.