Displaced women struggle with health and dignity as floods ravage Punjab

LAHORE: In a former classroom on Lahore’s outskirts, now serving as a makeshift relief camp, pregnant women sit exhausted and in pain, waiting for the floodwaters that swallowed their homes to recede. With limited access to medicines, sanitary pads, and essential care, women in Chung and other inundated areas face an uncertain future.

Nineteen-year-old Shumaila Riaz, seven months pregnant, has spent four days enduring cramps in the camp. “I wanted to think about the child I am going to have, but now, I am not even certain about my own future,” she said. Another young mother, also pregnant, lamented the loss of everyday comforts. “I used to eat as I please, sleep as I please, walk as I please — that is all gone now.”

The relief camp, crammed with over 2,000 people, is surrounded by mud and stagnant rainwater. Women struggle for privacy and hygiene, with many resorting to nearby homes or makeshift bathrooms next to cowsheds. “We are struggling to get pads for when we get our period. And even if we do, there are no proper bathrooms to use,” said Aleema Bibi, 35, cradling her baby on a mud-stained sheet.

Monsoon rains have swollen the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej rivers, affecting over two million people in Punjab, Pakistan’s agricultural hub. Provincial minister Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed that 750,000 people had been evacuated, 115,000 of them by boat — the largest such operation in Punjab’s history. At least 32 people have died in the latest deluge, while more than 850 have been killed nationwide since June.

Doctors at relief camps warn that pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to infections and waterborne diseases. “I receive around 200 to 300 patients every day with different infections,” said Dr Fahad Abbas, adding that many women and children are also suffering from psychological trauma after losing their homes.

Even in normal circumstances, Pakistan faces a severe maternal and infant health crisis, with the World Health Organization estimating that 675 newborns and 27 women in perinatal stages die daily from preventable complications. Flooding has made the situation more dire.

For many displaced women, the struggle extends beyond survival. “We escaped death, but this misery is no less than death either,” said Jameela, one of thousands forced to navigate life stripped of privacy, health, and dignity in the wake of unprecedented floods.