It is reported in the Pakistani media that intentional breaches were made in the protective embankments at Ghospur and Thorhee bands, Sukkur district, Sindh province in order to protect the agriculture lands of President Mr. Asif Ali Zardari Mr. Qaim Ali Shah, the chief minister of Sindh province, Mr. Khursheed Shah, the federal minister and other powerful person in the coalition government. The breaches have affected the urban population of Sukkur district and its adjoining areas where many places remain submerged.
It is also reported that Mr. Shahbaz Shareef, the chief minister of Punjab province, and Mr. Nawaz Shareef, the opposition leader, have made the same arrangements to protect their sugar mills in Jhang district. The media also reported that in different districts, where the flood was in full swing, the provincial ministers and land lords of the Punjab province made breaches in the embankments to save their lands.
This type of news reported in the local and international media are the main cause of the indifference of the international communities, as well as Pakistani citizens to pool their funds for the relief of the affected population. A huge crisis of mistrust has been created between the people of Pakistan and the authorities. It is also observed that ministers from the all the provincial governments and federal governments are visiting the affected areas for photo sessions to score points against each other’s government.
The first phase of the floods in Pakistan immediately devastated the lives of at least one third of the population of the country. The full effects of this devastation are yet to be seen. Still, there is no correct estimation of the losses that occurred during the first phase of floods available because of the disruption in communications. There are also some contradictory statements on the damage caused by the floods; different ministries claim losses from Rs. 500 to 800 billion. The slow and lethargic response of the government agencies, including the armed forces to get the proper provision of relief to the victims is creating more problems and will continue to do so when the second phase of the flooding enters Punjab and the Sindh provinces from Khyber Pakhtoonkha.
The people are still trapped and have been living on the road sides and railway tracks without any shelter for many days despite the claim of the federal and provincial governments that relief is being provided. There are fears of an outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, polio and tetanus, diarrhoea, and Malaria.
The local experts and a UN spokesman said the country has suffered a loss of about Rs250 billion in the agricultural and livestock sectors alone and the flood recovery costs may run into billions of dollars.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Nazar Mohammad Gondal, said that it is difficult to give an exact figure, but he agrees that the loss of agriculture and livestock runs into billions of rupees. Over 100,000 cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep, horses, camels and donkeys have been lost and 3,000 fish farms and 2,000 poultry farms destroyed across the country.
The whole agricultural belt that includes Jhang, Bhakkar, Rajanpur, Rahimyar Khan and Layyah districts in Punjab province has been inundated. Sindh province has lost standing crops worth Rs95 billion over 100,000 acres. Cotton and rice are the major crops destroyed by the floods.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over 325,000 acres have been submerged and crops worth Rs29.6 billion destroyed. Over one million tons of wheat stock kept in houses had been swept away.
According to dealers, the floods have caused a shortage of food items and the prices of fruits and vegetables have increased by 25 to 50 per cent. It is feared that the situation will persist for the whole year until cultivation resumes in flooded areas.
The United Nations humanitarian operations spokesman Maurizio Giuliano said: “The devastation to crops is immense. I think it’s safe to say it will take some billions of dollars to recover. Even though we don’t have estimates yet, I am referring to livelihood for agriculture and farming to get back in shape.” Two million people require shelter after fleeing flood-hit areas. Survivors face grim conditions in tent cities and disease is flourishing in the unbearable heat.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, after flying over flood-hit areas with diplomats, said that an estimated 15-20 million people are believed to have been affected. Appealing for international help, he said that we immediately need tents for shelter, food for survivors, water purification plants and medicines for cholera, malaria and other water-borne diseases.
This is the current situation of losses incurred by the recent first phase of floods but the second phase is about to come which would be more devastating as those bridges, dams, roads and embankments along the rivers were already damaged or have become so dilapidated that they will need many years to restore.
The various governments at every level should make coordinated efforts to combat the havoc of the floods and work for the rehabilitation of the affected masses rather than scoring points against each other. The governments should also work to restore the trust of the people to launch a vigorous campaign for donations from the philanthropists and common persons. The people generally do not believe the government agencies as being trustworthy, therefore all political parties and the governments should work jointly for the relief efforts.
For a web page showing pictures of the flooding please click here.
