Balochistan is facing a dangerously escalating child malnutrition crisis that, if left unchecked, could develop into a full-scale humanitarian disaster. A large number of children in Balochistan are suffering from severe food shortages, poverty, inadequate healthcare facilities, and a lack of clean drinking water
According to available data, over 75 per cent of children in Balochistan suffer from malnutrition and stunting (low height for age), while only 25 per cent have access to sufficient food. The root causes include widespread poverty and unemployment, which prevent millions of families from meeting their daily nutritional needs
The situation is worsened by the near absence or dysfunction of primary healthcare centres in rural areas, and the consumption of contaminated water that contributes to stomach diseases and worsens nutritional deficiencies. The Balochistan government and local authorities’ lack of attention has allowed the crisis to spiral out of control
Data shows that every second child in Balochistan faces nutritional deficiency. Nutrition surveys across all 36 districts reveal widespread malnutrition. Experts explain that severe malnutrition manifests in two forms: acute malnutrition, where children appear thin and wasted and suffer in the early stages, and chronic malnutrition, which causes permanent stunting of height and brain development, an irreversible condition that can only be managed, not cured
Children born with complications require hospitalisation, as nutritional supplementation alone cannot save them. Furthermore, only 75.3 per cent of the population has access to clean water, aggravating the situation further