The Biggest Emergency on Planet Earth
By Air Marshal (Retd) Ayaz Ahmed Khan
Los Angeles , CA
Pakistan celebrated its 63 rd independence anniversary in the midst of the biggest flood that devastated and wrecked the agriculture heartland of the country. The United Nations has called the catastrophe as “the biggest emergency on planet earth”. The state and the nation responded late to the plight of the people, but there is alround determination and compassion to help the flood victims.
The immensity of the tragedy and bad governance, despite words of comfort of the top leadership, gave rise to suffering and desperation among flood victims. But the armed forces came forward, and are helping the marooned starving and shelterless people across the country. In the absence of help by government officials, and no where else to go, people are desperate for the Army’s help, which is much sought after as time passes.
Despite the lessons learnt from the October 2008 earthquake and establishment of the National Disaster Management Authority, there was no plan or methodology in place to deal with the flood catastrophe, especially in regard to the distribution of aid goods arriving from abroad. Massive amounts of food, tents and medicines is being off-loaded at Quetta, Peshawar, Multan and Karachi airports, but there is a logistic jam and people continue to starve, and are without shelter, while airport hangars, garages and godowns are overflowing with goods. There is organizational chaos in the distribution process.
Cancellation of 14 August celebrations and contribution of one day’s salary by all government servants, both civil and military, and massive contributions into the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, Army, Air Force and Naval Relief Funds, and NGO efforts to help the flood afflicted are commendable, but somewhat late. The world has responded, and foreign goods and funds are pouring in, but relief goods are not reaching the starving and shelterless flood victims, and are likely to be stolen and pilfered. There will be large-scale pilferage and prostration if food, tents, blankets, water, filters and cooking utensils are not distributed quickly.
The electronic and print media has done a great job by truthfully presenting the agony of the suffering millions, and inability of the authorities to deal with the situation in an organized, orderly and systematic manner. TV anchors and press reporters managed to reach every nook and corner of the country, and were often seen angrily arguing with officials, both politicians, and bureaucrats at their tardiness, and paralysis in promptly dealing with the worsening situation.
There is justified public rage that landlords and influentials diverted flood waters by cutting roads, river and canal banks and bunds. Such criminal action flooded hundreds of villages, with resultant loss of life, cattle and crops. Pakistan’s UN ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon, has rightly demanded inquiry into allegations that rich landowners diverted flood water into unprotected villages to save their farms, crops and property. That no such enquiry has taken place proves the fear of concerned officials from feudal landlords.
Considering the fact that floods occur every year, there should have been a federal plan and provincial plans to deal with the chaotic situation of widespread destruction and devastation by the unprecedented floods this year. With millions uprooted and rendered homeless and unprecedented destruction, death, and sickness, the despair and misery, is but natural. The United Nations has rightly termed the flood havoc worse than the 2004 Tsunami, the 2005 and 2009 Kashmir and Haiti earthquakes. The visits of the Prime Minister and provincial Chief Ministers to console the uprooted millions is in order, but should have been followed by rapid action, viz, monetary help and arrangements for food, health care and shelter. The National Disaster Management Authority is directly under the Prime Minister and is the most suitable organization for dealing with the flood havoc, but was not able to play its due role. Its performance is hardly visible.
Relief goods from foreign countries are distributed by the NDMA. The transportation and distribution is slow and Khyber Pakhtunkhaw-KPK government has alleged that it is not getting its due share. The handout issued by the NDMA shows that KPK is getting more than its share of relief goods. The following flights landed at Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi, and goods were handed over to the provincial governments directly by the donors for prompt distribution:
Tents: Peshawar 282 flights, Quetta 168 flights.
Blankets: Peshawar 360 flights, Quetta 300 flights.
Medicines: Peshawar 285, Quetta 10, and Karachi 1000flights.
Food packages : Multan 384 flights, Quetta 556.
This was ten days ago.
But relief goods, especially tents, are in short supply, and people are sitting outside their fallen mud huts and are begging for tents. The provincial governments have failed in their duty of arranging prompt distribution of relief goods. Quick action by provincial governments would have ended the misery and brought relief to the millions, who are still without food and shelter.
Pakistan Army, Navy and Air Force have done a great job, by rescuing marooned and trapped people. The dedication, commitment of the military personnel, including the Frontier Corps and the Frontier Constabulary, is indeed praiseworthy. Pak Army officers and soldiers have reached the remotest villagers with cooked food and dry rations every day.
With thousands of mud huts and houses destroyed by the floods, there is an urgent need for thousands of tents. Millions are still without a roof over their head. With the approaching winter, clothing, bedding and supply of tents must be given the highest priority. Thousands will perish from exposure and cold, if the flood afflicted people do not get food, medicines, shelter and clothing promptly.
There is acute shortage of medical facilities, doctors and medicines. Cholera, dysentery, diarrhea from drinking polluted and muddy water, has taken a heavy toll of children.
The national economy, agriculture, industry and infrastructure have suffered irreparable damage, and setback, which could take fifty years to repair and restore. The government was caught totally unprepared to deal with this scale of nature-made havoc. The hope of the uprooted and starving people is that the promises made by the Prime Minister and the provincial chief ministers are not sabotaged by corrupt officials, mafias and selfish politicians. The Army has installed dozens of prefabricated steel bridges. The provincial governments have yet to get down to the huge task of infrastructure repair.
Neither the federal government nor the provinces could have stopped the flood calamity. It was impossible to deal with the tragic situation after the flood waters went over or smashed through river and canal banks. But the provincial governments, and especially the irrigation departments, could have reduced the flood devastation by opening the barrage gates in time, dredging and cleaning the canals, and by brick and stone lining the canals. Reportedly, some gates of Taunsa Barrage were kept shut, to save Sind. Instead of opening the barrage gates, the left bank of River Indus was dynamited, which inundated the entire area from Layya to Muzzafargarh and flooded Kot Sultan, Ehsanpur, Daira Din Panah, Kot Adu, Sanawan, Mahmood Kot, Gujrat, Qureshi Mor, Muzzafargareh and Khangarh. Taunsa Barrage gates were opened only after Punjab Chief Minister visited the Barrage and ordered the irrigation officials to open all the barrage gates. Over two million people were rendered homeless by the flash flood. Such heartless and callous action by irrigation officials to divert flood waters drowned hundreds of thousands acres of crop lands, thousands of villages and, hundreds of cities. Such allegations relentlessly televised have created anger and rage, which will not be mitigated till the criminals are brought to justice.
The public has appreciated the untiring efforts of Prime Minister Yusuf Reza Gilani and Chief Minister Shabaz Sharif to provide relief to the needy as soon as possible. But their visits need to be followed by planned action to remedy the problems of the flood victims.
It is heartening to note that Imran Khan-Mir Khalil-Ur-Rehman Trust, the Edhi Foundation, the United Nations, the United States, United Kingdom, Turkey, China, Russia, Jordan, India and, most importantly, Saudi Arabia, have stepped forward in a big way. US Air Force and NATO helicopters have done a great job in rescuing thousands of trapped tourists and marooned people in Swat. Four hundred Japanese army troops with foue helicopters, are also busy in rescue and medical opeations. Thousands of college students, both boys and girls, have formed their own NGOs and are rescuing people trapped on narrow river banks in Sind, Muzzafargarh and other flooded areas of lower Punjab. The arrival of Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan at Nowshera to hand over 130 pre-fabricated houses to Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti and subsequent visit to Turkish Red Crescent facility is indeed a praiseworthy gesture. The deep concern of the Turkish government and the Turkish people for Pakistan in our hour of need does fill our hearts with gratitude.
Pakistani electronic and print media has done a greater job by creating public awareness and projecting the lethargy of the civil government. TV reporters reached difficult and dangerous flooded places undaunted, to telecast the agony and suffering of the people who had lost every thing.
The slow pace of state action was on account of the lack of preparedness and inability of the civil administration and the National Disaster Management Agency to deal with the flash floods from all rivers and tributaries. The people were shell shocked, and their dissatisfaction and disaffection is bound to surface, sooner than later.
Chief Minister Shabaz Sharif of Punjab has correctly stated that we are heading for a bloody revolution, if the needs and grievances of the afflicted masses are not remedied immediately. Presently the homeless and starving millions are in urgent need of food and shelter, and a bloody revolution is unlikely, when the frustrated masses are famished, starved, insecure and leaderless. Mr Altaf Hussain’s call for a bloody revolution is hypocritical, when he is living in comfort in balmy Britain. He should tell his followers to go out into the flooded country side and help the distressed millions. He should come to Pakistan and comfort the victims of the biggest flood in history.
The flood catastrophe has not been a wakeup call to our squabbling politicians, bureaucracy and government agencies, who should have woken up by the magnitude of the flood disaster. Strangely and unfortunately some people unaffected by the floods are relatively indifferent to the plight of the flood victims. In 2005 the Pakistani nation had risen together, and the avalanche of aid and sympathy for earthquake victims was unprecedented. The MNAs have set a bad example by not contributing even a day‘s pay, when every body else did.. The trust deficit in the integrity of the government and the MNA’s will reduce, when the politicians and the ministers wet their feet like Shabaz Sharif by standing with the flood affected in mud and slushy water.
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