PDMA miscalculation endangered lives

PESHAWAR: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority's miscalculation endangered lives of people of Swabi and Mardan districts.

The PDMA had placed both the districts in the green zone where there was a very low risk of floods. The recent rains and floods wreaked havoc in both districts and the surrounding areas. Villages in Swabi and Mardan districts were submerged in floodwaters and residents struggled to escape the damage caused by torrential rains. The flash floods damaged roads and infrastructure in Swabi, which was the worst hit by the natural calamity. According to documents available with this scribe, the PDMA had issued a flood risk ranking for monsoon 2022, and declared Swabi, Mardan, Haripur, Hangu, Buner and Bannu as very low-risk areas. Seven districts were ranked very high, 10 high, seven medium and six in low-risk areas.

Heavy rains also paralysed life in several villages of Swabi. Rainwater damaged property, killed cattle and destroyed standing crops in Tandkoi, Anbar, Kalabat, Sheikh Dheri, Marguz and other villages in the district. The rainwater entered the houses damaging household goods and appliances and forcing the residents to move to safer places.

The downpour caused damage to public property in Kalabat, Zarobai and Kaddi villages and other parts of Topi tehsil, several areas in Yar Hussain region and many localities in Tordher, Jalbai, Jehangira, Kaya, Thano, Chota Lahor, Adina, Ismailia, Kalu Khan, Maneri, Gohati, Saleem Khan, Jalssi, Jalbai Shahmansoor and Baja Bamkhel areas. The general public was not immediately contacted to evacuate the area, which resulted in increased losses and people were trapped.

One of the officials on condition of anonymity told this correspondent that the PDMA did not take into account the ground realities of districts while doing the risk ranking, surveys of drainage systems, identification of low-lying areas and topographic evaluation.

Only Chitral or Dir Upper may be having Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) risk. Why do they measure all the districts on the same scale of GLOF? Why PDMA does not conduct surveys of districts for finding ground realities before risk ranking of districts? Does the PDMA have any responsibility for finding urban flooding risks?

Director General PDMA Sharif Hussain told this scribe that ranking is based on the commutative score of multi-hazards that prevail in the monsoon. These hazards are flash floods, riverine floods, landslides, GLOFs, hail storms and thunderstorms. The ranking is based on the impacts of the hazards on population, livelihood, physical infrastructure and accessibility of the area. The previous year’s damage and loss data is also taken into consideration for ranking.

“The situation aggravated in Swabi and Mardan due to heavy rainfall in a limited time span, which caused inundation of streets and crop fields wherein the drainage pattern failed to accommodate the water discharge. The factor was very unusual and unpredictable and that's why both districts were ranked as low-risk districts,” he said

The DG said the early warning generation is the mandate of Pakistan Meteorological Department, while PDMA is helping in dissemination of the warning with necessary advice. The forecast of the Met Department is of generalised nature which is for a region and not for a specific area. Furthermore, nature is not as predictable as a mathematical equation and retains the element of surprise.

Sharif Hussain said the evacuation orders are issued by the District Disaster Management Unit headed by the Deputy Commissioner. The PDMA has identified the evacuation spaces in each district with the consultation of district administration, which is reflected in the Monsoon Contingency Plan 2022. And in case evacuation is warranted, the district administration shifts the vulnerable households/population to those identified sites.