CHUNIAN The Sutlej river became furious on Monday evening here in the Kasur area. A big flow of 68,000 cusecs is passing from the river. Different villages of Kasur - Talwar Post, Basra, Baqar-Key, Kothi Fateh Muhammad, Bedian, Mandi Usman Wala and Sanda have come under water and they have been disconnected from other areas of the district. Talking to TheNation, Safdar Ali, Representative of Irrigation Department Kasur, told the present gauge at River Sutlej was 19.40. He told the river would become more furious during the next few days. Tonight, he said, the water level was expected to increase reasonably. The helpless villagers protested against the govt and demanded emergency help from the government which had not reached there yet. When contacted, Kasur DCO Syed Irshad Hussain said they were thinking to call Army because the situation was not in the control of civil administration. Currently, the situation is very miserable here and the villagers are crying for emergency help. The officials of health department were also found missing from the scene. Staff Reoporter from Karachi adds: The makeshift camps hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Thatta and Badin, the two worst-affected districts in the recent floods, have now been hit by the waterborne diseases due to unsafe water and unhygienic conditions. A field-trip to assess the level of services and intervention carried out by the Rural Supporting and Development Society (RSDS) of the relief camps in the two districts has depicted a picture of a complete misery and illness. As per RSDS, the affectees are facing the challenge of preventing themselves from fast emerging diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, malaria, fever, and other viruses and infections. The younger population is especially at higher risk, it finds. Waterborne diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms which are directly transmitted when contaminated water is consumed. This is caused either by drinking water directly or by using it in the preparation of food, or even from water ponds turning into sewage, said the Joint Secretary RSDS Ms Sehar Sameen, who led the assessment. The camp life has depicted the picture of a complete misery and there are serious concerns about the health and safety of the IDPs, added. Almost all the activities so far had been limited to the immediate relief, especially shifting of the affected population to safer places. Nearly 1.3 million have been hit hard, and the fear of the spread of diseases will damage many more socially and economically, the survey finds. There is an immediate need for medical help to these people, provision of medicines and vaccination to protect the affected population against the inevitable spread of any epidemic. It is a mistake to assume the waterborne diseases will affect the population physically only or it will result into loss of human lives, Sehar said, saying people of these two districts already lived far below the poverty line, and the disease will leave a lasting impact on the local economy. The affected people will have to bear the medical bills and health-related costs such as treatment, transport, special food and pure water. It is unfortunate that people in these two districts have been getting affected by the natural disaster almost every year since 1999. Floods, cyclones and droughts have crippled the local economy and the poverty has increased alarmingly. The situation is particularly worse for the rural minorities. It is time that a drive should be launched for vaccination of the affected population and a long-term strategy is adopted to rehabilitate the population. For implementing the recommendations and findings, the RSDS has launched a campaign for collecting medicines and getting support of all quarters for the IDPs. The society is planning to organise medical camps in these districts to vaccinate the population, especially the children.