One third of the country is under water. Over a thousand have lost lives. Others their homes, harvests, animals. In other words, any source of livelihood. The flood affected people in most cases stand under the open skies. Makeshift camps are giving shelter to the displaced in schools, military bases and wherever they can be given shelter. But there are only so many they can accommodate. And for how long can they be so housed and fed? There are needs beyond that. Women hailing from villages usually observe purdah and will not socialize with men even from their own family. Here, they are exposed for the world to see. There are desperate pleas for clothes for women particularly. It’s not just the clothes, but an educated thought is, also for sanitary napkins.
‘The current rain spell and floods have impacted the already thousands of vulnerable and deprived communities, where many are yet to recover from the effects of COVID-19. They are now in an even worse situation after these floods. Compounding effects from the pandemic are making it difficult for humanitarian organizations’ to immediately address and respond to the needs of those affected.’ [IFRC]
Flooding from Swat River, literally overnight, hit the province of KP drastically, Nowshera and Charsadda districts were early victims. In Sindh, floods started in early August 2022, 50 villages in Dadu district alone went under water badly damaging the Nai Gaj Dam.
Some aid has started arriving from other countries and international organizations. Local organizations like Al-Khidmat are working round the clock to make the necessities available in the shortest time to the flood affected. There are routes which vehicles cannot access, the workers have to walk as long as 6 miles, with goods on their backs. The regular shoes getting stuck in the muddied thickened water; they walk barefoot. Army is working round the clock to provide relief wherever needed.
The people of Pakistan who have stood by those affected in natural calamity find it so very difficult to do so today, in the face of increased inflation coupled with low consumer buying power. One example only: cost of tomatoes in Punjab urban areas is from Rs450 per kilo to Rs550 per kilo. Costs are expected to go up even more of goods with harvests being destroyed, exports falling and imports of basic necessities stepping up. When people cannot meet their basic needs and more and more falling below the poverty line, how can they send the non-existent extra to those affected by floods?
The important questions that need to be addressed are much deeper and require well thought out strategies. Our reactions to such calamities are knee-jerk ones at best. We are never prepared beforehand.
First, the entire area flooded is a mass of dirt water and flowing water. How will this water be drained, if at all? Likelihood is it will be left to nature to drain it, over time. In either case, will the government restore the lands to lands with pre-flood condition? If not, how do the owners with houses gone and nothing to put in, restore their lands? If hopefully a strategy for this is developed, how does the families cope till such time? Living at side of the road and in camps makes this task even with resources, impossible. Can a temporary pre-fabricated living place be set up on their lands to make it easier for the people?
Second, what about the livestock lost? Many had shops from where they earned their livelihood. Is there a strategy to resettle the people so they can start earning money from their skills?
Third, even if and when they are settled back, for a given period they will require sustenance to live before they can become self-sustaining.
There are tiers within tiers of a strategy for resettling the displaced. At best, steps being undertaken can be termed as handling an emergency thrust upon us. The biggest question is how to deal with the floods next year? And the next? And..? Though a lot of it may be attributed to climate change, how much of infrastructure destruction is due to constructing homes and commercial buildings in areas prone to floods? The drainage system across country also needs correction. Those lying choked and therefore inoperative led to greater widespread destruction. Small dams are need of the hour. They help stop flooding. The failure of political parties to come together as one to handle the crisis and strategize cannot be overlooked.
Without playing blame game, a leader rising to new heights of popularity focused on fund collecting for his party at this critical time. Not for flood victims-for weeks. Pakistan’s decision-makers need to focus not only on how to handle the situation at hand, but also in the future.
The writer is a lawyer, academic and political analyst. She has authored a book titled ‘A Comparative Analysis of Media & Media Laws in Pakistan.’ She can be contacted at: [email protected] and tweets at @yasmeen_9