The Hidden Health Crisis Following Chamchamal's Floods: A Call for Comprehensive Public Health Response

Abstract

The catastrophic floods that struck Chamchamal between 8 and 10 December 2024, resulting in three fatalities and the destruction of more than 1,000 homes, should not be understood solely as an acute humanitarian emergency. Rather, they mark the onset of a broader and potentially enduring public-health crisis. As visible flood damage subsides, less immediately apparent—but no less consequential—risks are likely to emerge through compromised water quality, disrupted sanitation, and the mobilization of environmental contaminants.

     Foremost among the immediate public-health concerns is the destabilization of water security. Flood-related increases in turbidity in the Little Zab River reportedly necessitated the temporary shutdown of water-treatment facilities across multiple districts, leaving substantial segments of the population without access to safe tap water for several days. In such circumstances, households commonly rely on untreated surface water, tanker supplies of uncertain quality, or private wells—sources that are particularly vulnerable to microbial contamination following flooding. The health implications of these exposures are well established. Post-flood environments are consistently associated with outbreaks of waterborne disease, including cholera and leptospirosis, while storm-related rainfall has been linked to increased incidence of Escherichia coli infections and Legionnaires’ disease in the weeks following inundation (Lynch and Shaman, 2023). In Chamchamal, these risks are likely amplified by widely documented deficiencies in sewage infrastructure, which enable direct mixing of floodwaters with untreated domestic wastewater in several neighborhoods...