EDITORIAL: The very next day of assuming the reins of government, prime minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Gwadar is indeed laudable and would hopefully be a matter of solace for the calamity-stricken people of the area. The headlines emanating from Balochistan are hardly ever harbingers of good news, with this trend sadly continuing following the rain-induced havoc that various parts of the province endured during the past week.
The destruction caused by the intense rain has been especially severe in Gwadar, with life in the coastal city grinding to a halt after over 180mm of rain was recorded over a 30-hour period, disrupting normal life, leaving thousands of people homeless in its wake, and leading the provincial government to declare Gwadar a calamity-hit zone.
The deluge resulted in flash floods, inundating most parts of Gwadar, entering homes and commercial establishments, and leading to the collapse of hundreds of structures as well as injuries to dozens of people.
In addition, the coastal highway connecting the city to Karachi was rendered unusable, disconnecting the disaster-hit area from many parts of the country. The downpour, inevitably, also impacted the provision of essential services, resulting in protracted power breakdown, absence of clean drinking water and collapse of the already overwrought sewerage system.
The lack of preparedness of the authorities and the woefully inadequate disaster response system was completely exposed, with the local administration needing to rely on paramilitary forces for rescue and relief operations. While the rain did exceed seasonal norms, the city’s persistent vulnerability to natural calamities, as well as the poor state of its disaster management facilities, cannot be excused.
It is clear that something as basic as a robust drainage system appeared to be an alien concept as the calamity unfolded, with only a few pumps working to dewater areas submerged in sewage water. On top of that is the heart-wrenching impact on livelihoods, with fishermen being particularly worse off, losing their boats to the chaos triggered by rain, rendering their economic futures bleak.
While the local and provincial administration’s failure to competently deal with the calamity cannot be understated, it is not enough to pin responsibility for this lack of readiness on them alone. Given that successive governments at the centre haven’t tired of citing Gwadar’s centrality to the much-touted China Pakistan Economic Corridor, and rightly so, the poor state of infrastructure and disaster readiness that has made life extremely difficult for the city’s denizens, just highlights how low down the priority list the actual well-being and safety of the people have been. In fact, this is true of the entire province, with Balochistan historically lagging behind the rest of the country on a whole range of developmental fronts, not least its disaster management apparatus.
Pakistan’s susceptibility to extreme weather events and natural calamities is no secret, as it is consistently ranked among countries most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Given this, it is a travesty that our largest province continues to grapple with the lack of attention paid to its climate resilience and basic infrastructure, which is routinely pulverised after every bout of rain or floods. The poor state of disaster preparedness initiatives leaves its residents exposed to the wrath of nature, with the plight of Gwadar serving as a poignant example of this perennial negligence.
It goes without saying that what Gwadar, and indeed Balochistan, need right now are urgent measures to improve the region’s disaster preparedness, with special attention paid to improving drainage systems, putting in place agile early warning systems and evacuation plans, and instituting initiatives that prioritise the setting up of robust social safety nets that protect people from the worst impact of natural calamities and loss of livelihoods.
All those who matter in this regard need to move beyond uttering meaningless platitudes about Balochistan’s economic potential, and must start investing in improving its basic infrastructure and prioritising the well-being of its people so that they remain adequately equipped to successfully weather any storm they encounter.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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