A humanitarian crisis in the Thar Desert

Deaths of nearly 200 people, most of who were children and women, in Thar desert of Pakistan during the first four months of 2016, shows that this region is once again in the grip of a humanitarian crisis. As a result, Qidwai Welfare Trust (QWT) has decided to focus a significant portion of its 2016 Ramadan Food Distribution in the Thar Desert.

Hunger has continued to claim lives in Thar as children and women keep on suffering from deprivation of food and water. Adequate relief activities in this region continue to remain suspended due to various reasons.

It is estimated that 700 Children died in 2015 due to the same issue. During the National Nutrition Survey conducted recently, the GAM rate in the province of Sindh were the Thar Desert is located, is 17.5 per cent and the Severely Acute Malnutrition (SAM) is 6.6 per cent. And according to the WHO guidelines, if the Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate among children and women is above 15 per cent, it has to be considered a sever emergency situation.