Rain deaths

How is it that after two major earthquakes in the last decade and multiple incidents of major flooding, nothing has been done about updating the weather forecasting and warning system, let alone improving building standards? The answer to this question should be demanded by the families of the 86 or more people who have already lost their lives during the current spell of rains. Just this past Saturday, 34 people lost their lives to various rain-related incidents, including mudslides and roof collapses, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir. On Monday, another 17 died, including nine students who were buried under snow in Chitral. All of these deaths were avoidable. Around 90 houses and three shops were completely destroyed while a number of roads were blocked. Northern Pakistan is facing a spell of severe torrential rains. With the rain spell apparently accurately predicted by the Met Department, how is it that people are still not getting advance warnings? Why does the relevant care-giving apparatus in the case of any emergency take so long to respond?

Rain-related deaths every rainy season confirm how little preparation has actually been done to shield Pakistan against natural disasters. Something simple that the state could do is to regulate building standards. We have failed to do this and are unlikely to address it in the near future as well. The problem of landslides in the northern regions is made worse by the felling of forests. Increased deforestation multiplies the risk of mudslides and poses a major hazard to those living in mountainous regions. Inaction remains the favourite mode of action by various government agencies and the federal and provincial governments. While Khyber Pakthunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan may be considered the more neglected parts of the country, the situation in big metropolitan centers is not much better. Every rainy season leads to sewage waters flooding poorer areas or roofs in shanty settlements collapsing. The weather cycle too is changing; storms in early spring are a new feature of Pakistan’s weather. There is, however, no excuse for the destruction that has been wreaked across the country by the current spell of rains. There are no easy solutions either. Pakistan needs to be made disaster-proof. The last ten years have seen one avoidable calamity after another. Commitment is needed at both policy and implementation-levels.