Hiding our mistakes

The current government is going around the world, harping about the devastating floods in Pakistan. They talk about climate change and ask for funds to deal with the situation. But has the current government looked into the main reasons for the flood and tried to find a solution that would stop or reduce future flooding? Unfortunately, the answer is: no. According to reports from the relevant authorities during the beginning of the floods, the chocking of our canals by illegal construction, litter and a lack of dredging was a major contributor to the disaster. While there is a lot of justification in bringing up global warming and demanding climate change reparations from the rich countries, this issue has been used to cover-up our own shortcomings to a large extent.

Even today, three months on from the disaster, the flood water has not been drained and there are still large areas under water. Unless the government can improve our drains, canals and reservoirs and tackle encroachments, this crisis will be repeated annually no matter how much reparations we get.

Engr Shahryar Khan Baseer

Peshawar