1:15 PM
Muhammad Zai Khan
Extensive flooding has affected over 400,000 people and killed well over 400. Thousands of homes across the province and the adjoining tribal areas have been inundated, and in Swat, houses, bridges, hospitals, roads and communication networks have been washed away. Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir are virtually cut off because landslides have blocked major road links, while the arterial Karakoram Highway has suffered extensive damage. In Balochistan, floods have affected over 60,000 people and killed 80 in just one week. The other provinces have not been spared either. Devastating flash floods and hill torrents have caused widespread damage in three districts of Punjab, while in Sindh, hundreds of acres of agricultural land have been inundated in Sukkur. Yet this unleashing of the wrath of the elements may not be over. The Federal Flood Commission has noted that the level of water in dams and barrages across the country continues to rise, while flooding in low-lying areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could worsen within days. Meanwhile, Sindh faces a massive in-rush of water flowing downstream.
The response of disaster management cells and authorities has been slow to say the least, and officialdom has in many areas been conspicuous by its absence in bringing relief. That said, however, it is clear that the scale of the disaster is such that it has inevitably overwhelmed whatever resources are available to bodies such as the National Disaster Management Authority. The thousands of people affected by the rains and floods need help, and need it fast. The stranded need rescuing while those in risk zones need to be evacuated; it is essential that the government divert every possible resource towards this end. Meanwhile, shelter, food, drinking water, medicines and clothing must be distributed without delay. Efforts made in this regard by the government, as well as civil society, could prove invaluable and save lives. The country must mobilise itself to meet the challenges posed by the worst monsoonal disaster seen in decades.
After the initial crisis is weathered, policymakers should turn their attention to the long-term measures required to mitigate the effects of natural disasters. This includes not just preparing contingency and coordinated response plans but also addressing issues such as wide-scale deforestation and the need to construct small dams and reservoirs in places where they could absorb excess river flows and rainwater, and store it for use during dry periods. Experts believe that climate change is increasingly giving rise to extreme weather. Pakistan must prepare itself.
