Before disaster strikes

IT is customary in Pakistan to wait for disaster to strike and then look at ways to manage the situation. That is what we seem to be gearing up for in terms of this year`s monsoon too. After rapidly changing weather patterns led to forecasts that varied all the way from warnings of disastrous floods to those of drought, a clearer picture has now started emerging: if the current weather conditions prevail, there is a risk of moderate floods, especially in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Rain-related tragedies have already occurred, with flash floods claiming several lives in Nowshera, Mansehra and Bajaur Agency, and hundreds of acres of agricultural land have been submerged in the Sialkot region. In Azad Kashmir, meanwhile, relentless rain over the week has displaced thousands of people. With memories of the catastrophic floods of 2010 and 2011 still fresh in our memory and many of those affected still not fully rehabilitated we can be forgiven for regarding this year`s monsoon with foreboding.

What, then, is officialdom doing to mitigate dis-aster should it strike? The National Disaster Management Authority has said that district management authorities have been placed on alert and are working round-the-clock.

Such vague assurances, however, will not go very far in terms of easing people`s worry and bolstering their faith in the state`s ability to protect them should the need arise. It would be useful if information could be released about which water courses have been cleared to carry extra load, for example, or whether those living along river and canal banks have been warned or plans made for their evacuation.

Has the administration formulated a plan as to where, should the worst occur, displaced people will be accommodated? Too many fear that as in years past, they might be left to fend for themselves as the state machinery struggles to cope. Interventions are needed not just in the northern parts of the country, which are likely to see heavier rain, but also in the south through which the waters would pass. The government still has time to make adequate preparations for a calamity that cannot be ruled out.