Residents of flooded villages in Pakistan face hunger and venomous snakes
Flooded villages in Pakistan.
AFP
Victims waiting for the distribution of aid.
AFP
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The village of Karim Bakhsh in southern Pakistan has become almost completely submerged in muddy water, after the catastrophic monsoon rains, and no stable building remains for the people to take shelter, while the wheat granaries are empty and poisonous snakes are scattered everywhere.
But unlike the tens of thousands of people who have fled their homes, villages and cities flooded all over the country, many families here have refused to leave.
Without formal title deeds, many residents worry about opportunistic takeovers of their land and property, as their families have lived here for generations.
"We got the property papers from the British colonial government," said waiting Ahmed, a 55-year-old farmer, told AFP last Wednesday, as he stood on a high plot of land near his flooded house in Sindh province.
"But we lost it several years ago in similar floods, and besides, we have nowhere to go."
Others say they are worried about the fate of their livestock, a resource too precious for poor villagers, to leave behind.
"We have buffaloes, cows and goats. If we leave the cattle behind, they will be stolen," said Shah Mohammed, 35.
Mohammed and others struggle to find food, not only for themselves but also for their livestock.
Mohamed pointed out that there is enough food for the animals at the moment, but soon the wheat will start to run out.
The aid provided by charities by boat is the only lifeline for those who live in Karim Bakhsh and do not want to leave.
The village was engulfed in muddy flood waters that in some locations stretched for more than a kilometer.
Villagers congregate on the only dry patches left to wait for a boat operated by the Service Foundation, a humanitarian organization based in Pakistan, as it slowly approaches the flooded streets.
This was the first emergency aid delivery in days.
The boat stopped several times in the village so that aid workers could deliver tents, food and other supplies to the residents.
An aid worker says the charity decided to make the deliveries after realizing that some families did not want to leave.
At each station, there was evidence of the devastation caused by torrential rains and floods, the worst in decades.
Most of the homes and buildings were destroyed, and the villagers desperately needed any material that might help build a temporary shelter from the rain and the scorching sun, when they appeared.
"Our houses collapsed, we cut down trees, and we used this wood to support what was left of our walls," said Gul Badshah, 70.
Meanwhile, Maqbool Ahmed, also a local resident, made all preparations for a different and common local threat, especially during floods, venomous snakes. He attached a small lamp to a car battery, then placed it on a mound of dirt.
"We light it up at night to protect ourselves from snakes," he told AFP.
"Sometimes, cobras and snakes sneak up on us," he added.
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