As floods ravage Pakistan, just across the Himalayas in China, mudslides are wreaking havoc. Over the weekend, the town of Zhouqu, in the remote Gansu province, was literally buried under a massive avalanche of mud and rocks, triggered by heavy rains in the mountains. The tragedy cost over 1100 lives and some 625 are missing.
More rain is expected during the week, but media reports suggest that the Chinese government has taken all possible steps to prevent further losses of life. Over 45,000 people in the vulnerable areas have been evacuated, to be accommodated in tents, of which 30,000 are already pitched. And to take care of the affected people, 800 medical workers have been dispatched to the scene, fully equipped with medicines and chemical disinfectant gadgetry to ward off the danger of post-flood epidemics.
The affected area is said to be a brittle geology, rendered unstable as result of the earthquake in neighbouring Sichuan, in 2008, which is said to have had loosened rock faces. But no lesser role is said to have been played by the excessive deforestation in increasing the risk of landslides. Of course, the Chinese authorities responded to the disaster with great alacrity and have put in place adequate arrangements to control further damage. It is a tragedy that has caused immense pain to people both in China and Pakistan.
And, for us in Pakistan, there is a lesson or two to be learnt from the manner in which the Chinese authorities reacted to the Zhouqu disaster. Within a few hours of the mudslide incident, Premier Wen Jiabao was on way to Zhouqu. As he was flying to the place he ordered, for instant implementation, to set up a state council with temporary headquarters in the affected town, to carry out rescue work. And on landing, he immediately set about visiting the affected area and meeting the injured.
According to a news agency report, Premier Wen "walked through the mud and rocks and came to the worst-hit Sanyan valley, where a village of some 300 households was entirely submerged by the mudslides". He didn't take a helicopter for an aerial survey of the affected area - along with a bevy of cronies, under the full glare of television camera. Nature is cruel and unforgiving; but it is the quality of leadership that makes the difference in the calamitous impact of natural disasters. In fullness of time, people would recall how the Pakistani leadership failed to face the circa-2010 floods and how clamorous it was to seek foreign aid - to earn an admonition 'it is better to die on one's feet than to live on one's knees'.
Chinese don't extend their hand when calamities hit them. They face it with resolute courage and pragmatic planning, bringing into full play their indigenous resources. But we are waiting for the United Nations to chip in something - which if and when it comes, would not be 'our money but theirs', tagged with a wish list. That the Prime Minister's relief fund should attract donations in the range of only a few millions of rupees, one is not surprised at the lack of confidence in the leadership.
In Pakistan, to be in the cabinet, by hook or crook, seems to be the ultimate dream of a politician. Imagine the funds-starved Azad Kashmir government being burdened with a 25-member cabinet from the legislative assembly strength of only twice that number. So, as we mourn the loss of life caused by the Zhouqu mudslides and sympathise with the bereaved families, we would also implore our rulers to learn from China how to respond to natural calamities.