Abandoned citizens

Do you know anything about Chacha Zaman who lost everything he had to a high flood on the night of August 20? Surely nobody knows about him because he lives in a very small village of Tehsil Daraban Kalan in Dera Ismail Khan. He and thousands like him became victims of the latest floods that swept away the areas of Saraiki Waseb, Balochistan and Sindh.

These flash floods are caused by torrential rains and these areas have received an unprecedented amount of rainfall that broke all previous records. Such heavy flooding has wreaked havoc on an already vulnerable people. Thousands of families in the Damaan region between Koh Suleman and River Indus have lost their homes, livestock, crops and grain storage. Many families are looking for their missing family members who got separated due to the heavy floods.

When this catastrophe struck millions of Pakistanis, the government and the media were nowhere to be seen. Even now the coverage of this issue is not being given the urgency it deserves. Government authorities have very few resources at their disposal. They also don’t seem much interested in the state of their own citizens. Private NGOs, welfare trusts and individuals are working on their own to provide relief to the needy. Roads are broken, bridges are badly damaged; most of the villages already had no roads which makes it almost impossible to access the needy.

These climate disasters truly reveal how food insecure most of our citizens are. For the families whose homes have been destroyed it is impossible to cook. So dry food is needed for such families. Volunteer teams are also distributing dry ration packs among the families. Fortunately, the spirit of hospitality in the people of Saraiki Waseb is much alive. The nearby villages which are safe have been of great help. Locals are distributing cooked meals and giving shelter to the homeless. No government aid has yet made it to these areas.

Talking of water, the conditions are dreadful. Most of the villagers are drinking flood water because they have no other source of water. The government, in the last 75 years, has been unable to provide any source of clean drinking water to its citizens. By drinking flood water, the villagers are getting different water-borne diseases like hepatitis and cholera. There is a serious need to provide clean drinking water to these areas.

Hundreds of citizens are severely injured due to collapsing walls and roofs. Not a single first aid team has reached far-away villages and many of the injured are waiting for medical teams. Also, there are countless children and women who need immediate medical attention. The health infrastructure of the country is also almost non-existent. There are many pregnant women who are suffering due to lack of basic life facilities. These citizens are part of a state that spends billions on elite subsidies and non-productive affairs.

A complete blackout on national media is heartbreaking. Most of the media, for the sake of TRPs, has been focusing on petty political fights. It seems as if Shahbaz Gill is more important than the millions of Pakistani citizens stuck in floods looking for food and clean drinking water. This very clear apartheid speaks a lot about the priorities of our state and all of its pillars.

Apart from all these immediate steps, it is time to think of structural changes and reforms. Climate change is here. It is knocking on our doors. Pakistan seriously needs to rethink its policies in accordance with the current climate change scenario. There is a need to enable and empower local communities to fight climate change. Sustainable development, water management and preservation of natural resources is the only way forward.

Our country also needs a strong and resilient infrastructure to combat such circumstances. The biggest problem facing flood relief activities right now is connectivity. Most of the villages already have no paved roads. If any did, they were already in a very bad condition. Most of the bridges were constructed in pre-Partition times and have been badly damaged by the recent floods. A complete rehaul of roads and bridges is needed to restore connectivity.

Old electricity poles and wires also gave up to the ferocity of the water. Therefore, such villages lost electricity and therefore, very important, mobile and internet signals. There is also a need to renew this infrastructure. These are few very basic and grassroots needs that must be addressed immediately.

These floods have revealed the living conditions of the majority of the population. It is time to rethink our politics, economy and policy priorities. Structural and systemic changes are needed to combat the monster of climate change and its disasters. Otherwise, the majority of our population will be at the mercy of natural disasters.

The writer is a freelance graphic designer. He tweets @Ehteysham1