Islamabad, 21 March 2023 (dpa/MIA) – Millions of Pakistanis have been consuming potentially disease-ridden water since devastating floods hit the country six months ago.

More than 10 million people, including children, living in flood-affected areas have no option but to drink contaminated water, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement on World Water Day.

“Safe drinking water is not a privilege, it is a basic human right,” UNICEF representative in Pakistan Abdullah Fadil said.

“Yet, every day, millions of girls and boys in Pakistan are fighting a losing battle against preventable waterborne diseases and the consequential malnutrition,” he said.

The floods damaged most of the water systems in affected areas, compelling more than 5.4 million people, including 2.5 million children, to rely on contaminated water from ponds and wells, the statement said.

Floodwaters damaged more than 1,000 health facilities in the province of Sindh where millions of people were still waiting for the water to recede.

Six months after the floods, many live in tents next to stagnant water which contributes to the widespread outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dengue, and malaria.

Triggered by record monsoon rains last year, the floods affected 33 million people and submerged a third of Pakistan, an area larger than the size of Britain.

The damage from flooding was estimated at $40 billion.