Impending threat of floods

As predicted by environmental scientists, climate change has started to manifest itself in floods, heavy rains, and heat waves in different parts of the world. A recent study report prepared by the US-based World Resources Institute - a think tank - together with four Dutch research groups has come up with a grave warning about river floods affecting low-lying regions of the world, including Pakistan. The report also points out that besides climate change, socio-economic development in low-lying regions is expected to add to the losses, especially in the developing world. As regards Pakistan, floods could affect some 2.7 million people every year by 2030, says the report. At present, the calamity, recurring regularly for the past few years, hits an estimated 715,000 people annually causing casualties, uprooting people from their homes, killing their livestock and destroying crops. In GDP terms, the estimated economic loss amounts to 0.98 percent, which translates into $1.7 billion.
Unfortunately, long-term, even medium-term, planning is something alien to those responsible for planning and implementing government policies. Action in almost every field comes as a reaction rather than well deliberated policy decisions. Each time a flood disaster hits, governmental agencies run to undertake relief and rehabilitation work, failing to do much beyond haphazard rescue operations. The affectees of the 2010 floods in Sindh, for instance, remained stranded in makeshift dwellings for almost a year, unable to return to their homes and livelihoods. Hardly any preventive measures have since been taken to avert a similar situation in the future. After widespread public resentment over poor response to the suffering of people in the flood-hit southern Punjab and Sindh, the National Disaster Management Authority, headed by the prime minister, came up with a 10-year plan to improve capacity to cope with future disasters. But there has been no follow-up action. In fact, the last time the commission met was three years ago. It is obvious that like its predecessor, the present government too attaches little importance to the need to devise a sound plan to minimise the impact of floods and other natural calamities.
Before irreversible damage is done, the government must get its act together to confront the impending threat. First and foremost, experts should be consulted to work out a long-term preventive strategy. Some obvious measures that are in order include: Construction of dams wherever possible to hold excess water, and strengthening of river embankments. Riverside encroachments, such as those in the Indus River's 'Kutcha area', must be removed. It needs to be remembered that the 'Kutcha area' initially was reserved for overflows to keep human habitations out of the harm's way. Forest cover ought to be increased to arrest and counter environmental degradation. And, of course, National Disaster Management Authority must be provided with sufficient resources and duly trained personnel to undertake rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations. No less important is the need for environmental impact assessment to be factored into all undertakings of new development projects.