Flood havoc

The flood that has been raging in the country has taken a monstrous turn with its most destructive phase to date. Water levels in Sindh’s Manchhar Lake have risen rapidly in the past couple of days. Most districts in Sindh have come under water and the struggle is on to save people as their meagre assets have already disappeared in the face of rising waters. The death toll is approaching the 1,400 mark and that includes only recorded casualties; there may be many more that go unrecorded in such calamities. One area after another receives warnings for evacuation and people find nowhere to go when they see miles and miles of water all around them. Per latest reports there are more areas at risk of flooding. On Monday at noon, the water level in one of the largest bodies of freshwater in the country, Manchhar Lake, rose to 125 reduced levels (RL) from 123 on Sunday and the lake’s protective dykes at various points were washed over by waves. The authorities had to breach dykes to save the densely populated areas of Sehwan and Bhan Saeedabad from submersion. The Indus River is already flowing at high levels between the barrages at Kotri and Sukkur.

Despite frantic efforts, water has entered thousands of villages. Authorities have been trying to provide aid and relief to the affected people but the enormity of the flood is of catastrophic proportions. There were not enough boats in the affected region to evacuate people from the areas affected or at risk. There are still hundreds of thousands waiting for drinking water and food, what to talk about clothes and health facilities. Most of the affected people have been unable to rescue even their clothes while fleeing the gushing water and are now stranded on roadsides in tatters. Record monsoon rains in the past couple of months have wreaked havoc and melting glaciers have compounded the problems. More than the number of deaths, it is the plight of the displaced people who have been rendered homeless, many of them with injuries and scars deep in their bodies and souls that will take years to heal, if ever. The prime minister of Pakistan and chief ministers of provinces – especially of Sindh – have been visiting the affected areas and announcing compensations for flood-affected families and individuals under the Benazir Income Support Programme.

But right now there is a need to go much beyond the BISP mechanism. An immediate task is provision of food and medicines, clothes and tents so that at least for the time being they have some food to eat and a shade to sleep under. The government has decided to increase the cumulative amount of flood relief assistance under BISP from Rs28 billion to Rs72 billion. But this is simply not enough. In addition to the affected families, there is widespread damage to crops that have been washed away, over thousands of square kilometres. In this time of tragedy, there is a need to shun petty politics. This scale of devastation in the country calls for concerted efforts. The government and state institutions need support from civil society and other quarters including NGOs – including the political opposition. The displaced need help. They must be the only priority at the moment. All else can wait.