Pakistan: Floods - Rescue and relief operations

By Mohammad Jamil

Heavy rains and floods continue to wreak havoc in Balochistan and Sindh. In Balochistan 15 districts have been affected, death toll has touched 100 and so far the estimated loss is Rs 10 billion. Sindh is also facing floods due to breaches in flood protective bund, which submerged 30 villages in the Qambar-Shahdadkot district. Thousands of villagers are marooned, and entire population of the Qubo Saeed Khan area in the district has shifted to safe places. In the Kachho area of Dadu, more than 20000 people are waiting to be evacuated. In October 2005, epic-scale earthquake had caused unprecedented death and destruction in Azad Kashmir and parts of NWFP. It is, indeed, difficult to avert disaster caused by natural calamities but their incidence can be reduced. Be it a calamity like 8th October earthquake or rains, our administration has never been able to provide advance information or to take quick rescue and relief measures. And army has to move in to save human lives and for the reconstruction work. After rains and consequent floods in Balochistan, relief and rescue operations by the army continued for the fifth day in flood-hit areas of Balochistan and elsewhere. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), 10 helicopters carried out the operations in Turbat, Nasirabad, Nodez, Kalatuk, Solaband, Sibbi, Jacobabad, Jhal Magsi, Buleda and Mand. Another three army helicopters reached Turbat, while two Sea King helicopters of the Navy reached Gwadar. Two MI-17 helicopters of the air force reached Karachi for relief and rescue operations in Balochistan. Army Engineers had restored traffic on the Sibbi-Quetta road, while Pasni-Aghor and Mand-Turbat roads were still closed and efforts were being made to repair and open these roads. Civil administration was taken off-guard because it did not have any plans to fight calamities of such magnitude. It may be a bit of over-criticism because when a super power with all the resources at its disposal fails to deliver when faced calamity like Katrina one should give margin to a developing country like Pakistan, especially when it does not have high-tech equipment to accurately forecast and warn the people. Secondly, Pakistan's puny industrial base does not help generate enough revenues to be effective in rescue operations. However, in October 2005, the army had rushed to send rescue and medical teams to areas cut off by tremor and roadblocks caused by landslides. Meanwhile, a strong monsoon weather system is likely to cause widespread heavy rains in Sindh over the next four days, and scattered rains have also been forecast for Balochistan. The government should therefore make preparations to meet any eventuality to minimize the losses. In adversity---natural calamity or war---nations invariably tend to unite with a view to meeting the challenge. In 1965 during war with India, the nation stood united; even opposition parties supported the government; hence nation came out with flying colours. Whereas in 1971, sense of unity had evanesced; the contradictions had become irreconcilable between various political parties, between the government and opposition and between the provinces and the Centre; hence the country faced humiliating defeat and was disintegrated. In the aftermath of October earthquake also the ruling and opposition parties continued with scoring points against each other whereas the international community had helped Pakistan in rescue and relief operations. Anyhow, in general the government, opposition parties, army and people had risen to the occasion and played their role admirably well. Some opposition leaders continued with their abrasive manners and asperity, whereas some members of the ruling party also showed intolerance to the dissent and were averse to take along the opposition members, as they wished to take all the credit for relief and reconstruction. According to the forecasts of the meteorological office, widespread rain is expected, therefore the nation should prepare for the worse to come. Unfortunately, the feud between the ruling and the opposition parties is at its highest, as 2007 happens to be the election year. Judicial crisis has also provided an opportunity to the opposition leaders and they do not seem to relent. One can only appeal to the government and the opposition parties to rise to the occasion and help provide relief to the affected people. One would not agree with those who say that natural calamity is a punishment from the Almighty God for the sins of people, but historical evidence suggests that when the population outstrips the resources, the nature comes into action. Malthus was not wrong when he said that population increases in geometric progression whereas resources increase in arithmetical progression. He had cautioned to limit numbers because whenever world population increased to the level of outstripping the resources, there were natural calamities, chaos, tensions, conflicts and wars. Because of crowded conditions of life and acute shortages, signs of stress and tension become evident, and in turn lead to abnormal behaviour patterns. According to sociologists, murders, crimes and acts of terrorism are the result of inadequate resources, unemployment, poverty, and of course unfair and unjust economic system. There is no denying that with better management, fertility of soils can be maintained and improved, so it will not pose insurmountable problem over matching requirements of food for quite some time, but there is a limit, as 'land' is a critical factor, which cannot be increased once all cultivable land is brought under the plough. So the people suffer due to shortfall or inequitable distribution of resources. According to one survey, ten per cent of the world population suffers from mental defect ranging from idiocy and raving madness to loss of mental equilibrium due to malnourishment of the mother and child. The people have the choice whether they want to limit numbers voluntarily or they 'wish' to leave to the nature to do it in its own way.