Peshawar/Lahore:
Although rescue efforts help the disaster beating the victims with certainty escapes the waste in their homes, they are inadequate to save millions of floods all over the country from drowning in their own psychological turmoil.
Nine-year-old Sahar, who was discovered that he was sitting in a camp created in Mohlanwal near Lahores Ravi River, was once busy with school books and toys. Sahar stranded in the middle of nowhere with her parents and siblngs and remembered the life she left behind. “My favorite doll set is gone and my books have also been ruined. How will I continue my studies?” cried Sahar, whose eyes reflected the grief of a child whose whole world had suddenly been crushed.
Sahar’s father, Mohammad Kashif, who was a hairdresser of business, revealed that he had built a small house after years of hard work and a lifetime of earnings, all of which were washed away in a few moments. “The loss of material possessions can be compensated, but I am extremely worried about my children. They wake up afraid every night, stunned by the sight of the water. As a father, I have no words to comfort them. I am in such a state of helplessness that I can only wipe out their tears,” shared an imposing Kashif.
“For every child, their home is their safe place in an unpredictable world. When this safe place is no more, the child begins to feel insecure. Toys and books are not only objects but emotional support. When all this is gone, the child becomes lonely and scared. If they are not advised, these children can continue to suffer from depression and trauma as they grow up,” noted Fatima Tahir, a clinical psychologist.
Iftikhar Mubarak, head of search for justice, revealed that he had visited several flood -affected areas. “We delivered toys and other things of interest to the children affected so that they could recover from the trauma in a timely manner. But this is only a temporary support as a permanent solution would involve state -sponsored psychological rehabilitation,” Mubarak said.
For displaced families, however, recreation may aggravate some of their grief, but for hundreds of families in KP who take care of the loss of their loved ones, the trauma hits much deeper. On August 15, more than 200 people were killed in a cloudburst event in buns. Such a family was the 15-year-old Yahya of Bishnoi Village, who lost eight members of his family. After the tragedy, Yahya entered a state of deep psychological shock, which he was admitted to Lady Reading Hospital.
According to Dr. Israr Khan, Member of Pakistan Psychiatric Society and Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry at Lady Reading Hospital in Buner, a team has set up psychiatric camps in buns every Tuesday and Wednesday to help the victims suffering from anxiety and depression.
“Yahya, the child admitted to the ward is in a state of shock, while three elders of Bishnoi have also lost their memory because of this tragedy. After any traumatic incident, people often develop the post -traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which last for six to nine months. Khan.
“Although it is three weeks since the destruction due to cloudburst, mental stress, depression and post-traumatic stress is widespread among the victims. Although my family suffered no loss, 40 families in the Sikh community were also affected by the tragic floods in bumps,” Vinesh Singh confirmed a resident of Sawari village in Buner.
Since August 15, 415 people have been killed and 135 injured in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while 2,562 houses have been damaged. According to experts, PTSD, depression and anxiety become more common among populations affected by floods, glacier melts, rain and severe heat waves, while “eco-anxiety” rapidly increases among children and adolescents. Experts encourage the introduction of “climate -cooling mental healthcare” in Pakistan to provide timely treatment and social support.
Punjab -Nut Help Commissioner Nabeel Javed revealed that more than 2.5 million people were evacuated and hundreds of relief and medical camps were created. “On the directives of Chief Minister Punjab, the financial loss of the victims is compensated and psychological teams provide services in temporary shelters,” Javed said.
