Review, relief, rehabilitate

The next few months are likely to be testing times for the country’s flood victims as both international and national responses have been slow and insufficient. Though internationally some announcements have been made and nationally individuals and organizations have been trying to channel aid in an effective manner, the ground realities are presenting a harrowing picture in the aftermath of the disaster. National institutions such as disaster management authorities and other relevant organizations have yet to come up with a detailed strategy to cope with the emerging challenges in flooded areas. The enormity of the challenges the country is facing is of gigantic proportions and the federal and provincial governments need a well-thought-out plan to tackle the issues at hand.

The UN has estimated that the rehabilitation plan will require over $800 million in immediate aid so that nearly 10 million people in the worst-affected areas may receive a bare minimum assistance to move on with their lives. What the UN calls ‘lifesaving humanitarian assistance’ is in fact hardly enough to give a lifeline of survival for just a fraction of over 33 million flood victims. Nearly eight million people have lost their homes and find themselves as internally displaced people (IDPs). Over half a million people are living in relief camps as there are not enough tents or temporary shelters. The number of vulnerabilities is mounting by the day as over five million children under the age of five have missed out on their required immunization. Over half a million pregnant women are likely to go through labour pains in the coming months, and in the absence of functioning healthcare facilities, most deliveries will pose a serious danger to the lives of infants and mothers alike. In this scenario, donor institutions and nations need to respond to the UN appeals to enhance their assistance and support rehabilitation.

Reconstruction efforts need to follow in quick tandem. As people continue to remain vulnerable to after-effects, all new construction must try to reduce their vulnerabilities in the face of any similar disaster which nobody can rule out under rapidly deteriorating climatic conditions. Misplaced priorities and ill-conceived projects – most of them donor-funded – have caused more harm than benefits to the people in their catchment areas. Pakistan will soon touch the 240 million mark in terms of its population. In the absence of matching resources and declining GDP growth rates, there will be many more mouths to feed and many more hands to find work. Pakistan’s resource base has been shrinking while education and health facilities are below par. Diseases are also hovering around while the country spends dismal amounts on the education and health sectors. Moreover, no province in Pakistan can claim to have an adequately operational local administration that can improve governance. All this calls for a thorough review of the situation and much better development planning.