Daily Times

According to the World Health Organization rehabilitation is a set of interventions designed to optimize functioning and reduce disability in individuals with health conditions through their interactions with their environment. Broadly, it can be defined as a phenomenon with conclusive and strenuous efforts to restore life to normalcy. Taking the true meaning of the word “rehabilitation,” Pakistan’s flood-affected people are still falling short of the dignity of rehabilitation work. Despite massive funds pledged by donors, misery persists in Sindh province, which has been severely impacted by the floods.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated at a recent Geneva conference, catastrophic floods and torrential monsoons have caused unprecedented devastation, affecting 33 million people immediately. Further, he added it destroyed more than 8,000km of roads and 3,100km of railway tracks.

Subsequently, people in large numbers started the migration in haste. While migrating, they only had the thought of saving their own and their families’ lives. They left all the other things even livestock and little saved grain which they hoarded for survival. The floods had washed away everything. Moreover, the irrelevant and premature political circus between the PDM and PTI for political power gain had disillusioned flood-affected people. The already climate-induced floods hit people got more disappointed by the irresponsibility of national parties and self-proclaimed democratic proponents for the country’s precarious and hit diaspora.

Simultaneously, hit heavily by flood and torrential rain, people have been battered badly. They lost their nearest and dearest in floods. As UNICEF reported that 528 children lost their lives, nearly 16 million have been impacted and are under precarious conditions and at least 3.4 million girls and boys are in severe need of immediate life-saving support. Furthermore, in Sindh province specifically, 905 deaths and 1047 severe injuries were reported due to heavy floods, and approximately 2,328km of roads and infrastructure have been damaged, the data given by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

Undoubtedly, Pakistan’s struggle to apprise the world about the loss of catastrophic floods due to the negligence of developed nations towards climate change and reducing the green gas emissions agenda is praiseworthy.

Observing such a high scale of calamity, people have been still left without mitigation even in some flood-prone areas the flood water has not been drained out. Consequently, flood-affected people are forcefully living in such an unhealthy and polluted environment, they have been fighting against two disarray wars at the same time: one with post-flood unmitigated situations and the second is with the war of diseases which are breeding in stagnant flood water and heap of rubbishes.

Unfortunately, the rehabilitation work has not been started yet. Nealy five months have passed to floods, but the dire ends of flood-prone areas people are not met. The federal government including the provincial governments are allegedly not taking seriously to rehabilitation work. In the name of rehabilitation, people are allegedly given meagre sums of money and very few necessities. Though it needs prudent actions and a highly researched roadmap with the integration of feeble economic health and a skyrocketed inflation rate. Undoubtedly, Pakistan’s struggle to apprise the world about the loss of catastrophic floods due to the negligence of developed nations towards climate change and reducing the green gas emissions agenda is praiseworthy. From COP27 to co-chairing the Geneva conference with UNO Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Pakistan’s role in highlighting the climate change monster on international forums is commendable. However, the evasive role of the PDM-led coalition government on the ground is not satisfactory for the climate-hit people in the country. Still, some flood-prone areas in the region urgently require government attention for the immediate flushing out of stagnant flood water and the establishment of basic health diagnosis centres.

Sadly, teetering economy and high inflation have made the condition more miserable for flood affected. People with already a cluster of problems have been hit hard by unaffordable flour prices and edible items. Harassing Kohli, who died in the huddle while purchasing subsidies flour bags in Mirpur Khas district, Sindh, is portraying the grim picture of the alarming hunger crisis ahead. If not the state, then who is responsible for his untimely death?

The Asian Development Bank reported in 2019 that Pakistan is an energy-insecure country. As it is not a self-producing country, it imports a high amount of LNG (liquified natural gas) and LPG( liquified petroleum gas) for maintaining the energy crisis loops. Between July and April of FY2022, imports of LNG increased by 82.90% in value, while imports of LPG increased by 39.86%. Though the country is insecure in the energy sector, the rehabilitation work needs energy to immediately drive out flood-affected people from catastrophic trauma. Further, the rehabilitation work cannot be ramped up without enough energy because the projects which do work out mechanically cannot run manually, they need electricity and gas for running the machines.

Looking at such a high scale of perplexing scenarios and appalling conditions, the governments not only keep apprised of the world’s catastrophic floods and funds but also take serious action for rehabilitation work. The flood-affected people are facing breakdowns mentally and physically. They need proper treatment. It is high time the governments took immediate life protection measures and draw quick mechanisms with flood resilience and flood tackling. Because climate change has become an unbridled, frantic horse unless it meets with sustaining measures suggested by environmentalist activists and the United Nations Organization. The government should keep it in mind and take resilient-oriented actions for rehabilitation work that corresponds to our economic health.

The writer is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at: lagharikazim@gmail.com.