By Qamar Bashir
Pakistan is still rebuilding from massive floods that killed over 1,700 people and
ruined over 2 million homes. Many communities are still submerged, and some
people are surviving on the rooftops of their homes without water, food, or shelter.
Stagnant water continues to wreak havoc on the stranded people in some of the
worst impacted districts, such as Dadu. The floods inflicted $40 billion in
economic damage and forced 1.8 million people to live in deplorable
circumstances. Even in normal times, health facilities were negligible, with one
doctor for 1,300 people and six beds per hospital for 10,000 people; however, this
negligible infrastructure was destroyed by floods, leaving people with no choice or
option to seek medical treatment for their health issues. Despite numerous
pledges, promises, and claims, the country is unable to ease the suffering of
millions of afflicted people; flood-damaged homes have yet to be repaired or
rebuilt; clean drinking water is still unavailable; and lost infrastructure cannot be
replaced. While the country is still in recovery mode, the new monsoon season is
rapidly approaching, with higher-than-average rains and flooding expected.
To our greatest fear, there are predictions that this monsoon, which is just around
the corner, will have a 70% chance of flooding this year as well, and unfortunately,
we lack the capacity to respond to these floods, and we will most likely subject the
people who have yet to recover from the devastating flood of last year to another
round of misery and devastation. Even now over 5 million people in the country
are in the emergency phase of a food crisis, which is similar to the scenario in
Somalia, which has 5.3 million people in this situation.
If we are not prepared yet again, those who were barely able to return to their
homes will have to flee again, the crops and livestock, the lifeline of many
villagers that somehow escaped from last year's flood will be subjected to another
devastation, depriving the affected rural population in most cases of the only
livelihood they had and were capable of handling, pushing many people who were
maintaining a decent living into poverty and those who were poor will be pushed
further into poverty.
As we all know and have been telling the world, Pakistan is the hardest hit by
climate change, despite the fact that its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is
almost negligible, and we have been begging the international community to come
to our aid as our population suffers every year from climate change-induced floods
and the diseases, hunger, malnutrition, and loss of livelihood that result.
But the international community has a right to ask what happened to the aid that
was previously given to the country and was mercilessly looted by those who have
already amassed a lot of wealth but their greed and hunger want even more,
depriving the people of their only lifeline. In fact, it is in the greatest national
interest to safeguard the people of the country from hunger, to provide every kid
with an education, to provide everyone with health care when needed, to secure
their lives and livelihoods, and to provide them with a place to live.
We are a short-sighted nation with no taste for rigorous planning and execution
because disaster preparedness, which directly affects millions of people and
indirectly affects the entire nation socially, economically, and monetarily, is not
our priority or significant to us. What is important to us has been made abundantly
clear by the events of the last few days: we are only concerned with settling
personal scores, destroying and annihilating each other, political parties foment
vandalism of national assets that belonged to the people of this country, and then
the government is forced to rebuild them using scarce economic resources
generated by the people through their sweat and blood. Unfortunately, our national
interests are served by doing anything but investing in our people, which is critical
for ensuring the productivity and quality of our products and services, safeguarding
the country's sovereignty and dignity, as well as the economic and social well-
being of the masses.
Although, as with every year, we have lost a lot of precious time this year, we still
have some of it to save lives, alleviate suffering, protect critical infrastructure,
maintain economic stability, foster social cohesion, and promote environmental
conservation. To improve our people's resilience and defend the well-being of our
populations, we must prioritize catastrophe preparedness and response, as well as
recovery. As swiftly as possible, we should gather all national intellect and
resources to put in place strategies and plans to prepare the entire nation to fight
the negative fallouts of potential monsoon flooding, as it is critical to human life
preservation, proper disaster preparedness and response to alleviate the burden on
affected communities and help them recover more quickly, but big question is
how?.
An efficient and state of the art well connected early warning system can help to
provide emergency response services to reduce the suffering caused by the floods
and to provide immediate medical assistance, ensuring access to clean water, food,
and shelter, and providing psychological support to those affected.
Population preservation strengthens social bonds and increases community
resilience. When people feel protected and supported during a disaster, they are
more likely to trust institutions and collaborate to overcome barriers. Building
community resilience includes educating individuals about potential dangers,
training them in emergency response methods, and encouraging cooperation and
mutual help. Strong communities are better able to resist and recover from
calamities, lowering society's long-term burden. Setting up emergency funds,
creating business continuity plans, and investing in strong infrastructure can all
help to maintain economic stability and speed up recovery. We must undertake a
social education campaign to reduce the impact of possible floods, crop and
livestock losses caused by the onset of monsoon seasons by implementing
mechanisms that provide timely and accurate information on weather patterns,
rainfall forecasts, and potential flood hazards. This information can assist
communities and authorities in taking the required safeguards ahead of time.
Educating farmers on climate-smart agricultural methods, such as crop
diversification, contour plowing, terracing, and building bunds to reduce soil
erosion and waterlogging, is critical to minimizing crop vulnerability to floods.
Give livestock owners advice on how to protect their animals during floods, such
as building higher shelters or relocating them to safer regions. Raising awareness
about cattle evacuation and rescue procedures can help to reduce losses.
Conducting public awareness campaigns, workshops, and training sessions to
improve community readiness and capacity for flood response by teaching target
populations on disaster protocols, evacuation routes, and basic first aid practices.
Establish a centralized communication system to communicate flood-related
information and emergency alerts to strengthen cooperation between government
departments, disaster management agencies, and local communities to promote
efficient communication and quick reaction during flood disasters.
Another major concern is the protection of critical infrastructure, such as
transportation networks, communication systems, electricity grids, and healthcare
institutions, as long-term economic setbacks could result from infrastructure
devastation, loss of livelihoods, and supply line disruption. Protecting populations
means safeguarding these infrastructure components, which are fundamental to
society's operation. Infrastructure preservation not only allows for faster recovery,
but also assures that key services are available during and after disasters. We must
repair and maintain existing dams, embankments, flood routes, and reservoirs, as
well as construct new ones. During the monsoon season, these structures can help
manage water flow, reduce flood hazards, and provide water storage. Furthermore,
existing drainage systems must be improved and new ones built in flood-prone
areas to efficiently move surplus water away from agricultural lands, residential
areas, and animal shelters, minimizing the risk of flooding.
Natural catastrophes can have devastating environmental consequences, destroying
habitat, polluting the environment, and causing ecological imbalances. Protecting
people includes activities to protect the environment and mitigate the
environmental impact of disasters. This includes strategies such as long-term land
use planning, early warning systems for environmental hazards, and the
implementation of pollution-reduction and ecological restoration methods.
We also need to promote reforestation efforts and implement effective watershed
management practices such as afforestation campaigns, tree planting, and
sustainable land management practices that act as natural buffers against floods by
absorbing and retaining water and reducing its flow downstream, in addition to
implementing strict regulations for land use in flood-prone areas such as
appropriate zoning policies, restricting construction in high-risk areas, and
encouraging people to live in flood-prone areas. We must also implement measures
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change by
transitioning to renewable energy sources, promoting energy efficiency,
incorporating climate-resilient design principles into the construction and
renovation of infrastructure which should include building structures that can
withstand extreme weather events and incorporating green infrastructure elements
and adopting sustainable practices across sectors.
We should invest in research and development to advance knowledge about
climate-related risks and develop innovative solutions which should involve
collaborations between scientists, policymakers, and communities to find
sustainable and effective ways to address climate challenges and seek international
cooperation and information sharing to address climate-related risks and build
resilience globally by sharing best practices, providing technical assistance to
vulnerable regions, and establishing frameworks for collective action.
Many of these strategies do not necessitate large sums of money, but rather
leadership, awareness, education, knowledge, advocacy, and motivation aimed at
empowering communities to assist themselves reduce the effect of natural and
man-made catastrophes. By implementing these safeguards, several governments
have safeguarded their citizens' lives and livelihoods, as well as vital infrastructure.
Let us do it now, before the monsoon rains arrive, or otherwise we will be back at
the begging bowl, selling pain, distress, and desolation of flood affectees to the rest of the world.-Writer is Former Press Secretary to the President,Former Press Minister to the Embassy of Pakistan to France ,Former MD, SRBC
