The Provincial Disaster Management Authority PDMA, Sindh has been badly exposed after the authority failed to ensure the timely release of funds to the district disaster management authority in the aftermath of the recent flash-flooding despite tall claims of being on high-alert to cope with any natural calamity.
A survey of the recent flash flood affected areas of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan conducted by this scribe revealed that the provincial disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs) of Sindh and Balochistan, despite their tall claims about the availability of funds, have remained unsuccessful so far in arranging the availability of food, shelter and clean drinking water for the flood-affectees.
The situation is quite different in Punjab where the PDMA is in full co-ordination with the District Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the affectees are being provided all the essential food items, proper shelter and also clean drinking water facilities. The survey was organised by the Ministry of Climate Change in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for a select group of journalists from the Capital. The first place visited during the survey was Dera Ghazi Khan (Punjab). It was learnt during the visit that flash flooding affected 0.2 million people in the district of Dera Ghazi Khan while the total number of casualties till date was 3.
In Dera Ghazi Khan hill torrents unleashed by torrential rains turned dozens of villages into swamps while 100,000 acres of farmland and about one thousand houses were submerged by nearly 10 feet of water. The overall agricultural productivity, including major crops like cotton, sugar cane and rice was affected. Sadly, 75-80 percent of the cotton crop has been destroyed.
According to Iftikhar Ali Saud, DCO DG Khan, the main telecommunication link between South Punjab and the Balochistan province has been affected while nearly 150 kilometres of the highway connecting Dera Ghazi Khan and Quetta has been swept away by a landslide near the Fort Monroe hill station. The DCO said that unfortunately four hill torrents namely Wadore and Sori Lund had discharged 1,45,000 cusecs of water causing breaches in the DG Khan canal as the canal has a capacity of only about 10,000 cusecs of water.
Rajanpur (Punjab) was more affected in terms of the loss of infrastructure and agricultural productivity. Nearly 0.21 million people have been uprooted and the heavy rains have destroyed the entire drainage system, comprising 16 canals, while locals said nearly 0.5 million acres of farmland is under water.
Total houses damages in Rajanpur were 2,341. " 8000 tents and ration bags including 20kg bags of flour, 2000 bags of rice have been distributed among the affected community so far. The district government of Rajanpur still needs 10,000 tents that would be provided by the provincial government on an immediate basis", Captain (Retd) Abdul Sattar Isani, the director of PDMA, said during a briefing with journalists.
Almost 90 percent of District Jacobabad has been affected by the recent monsoon rains, while shockingly, the district disaster management authorities have remained unsuccessful in providing even the very basic facility of life ie, food. There was severe scarcity of dewatering pumps while 75-80 percent of the affected people, this scribe observed, did not have any shelter and had to stay under the open sky. Most of the people were abusing the government while standing in long queues for ration bags in very miserable conditions.
During the media briefing in Jacobabad, journalists were told by Rafique Ahmed Buriro, Deputy Commissioner, Jacobabad that 28,274 house were affected in the district from the flash floods that took place due to breaches in the canals surrounding the district. A total of 6 casualties with an affected population of 0.19 million, and 80-85 percent of major crops damages were recorded after the flash flooding in Jacobabad. "The district highly needs dewatering pumps, tarpaulin, ration bags, tents, medicines, infant milk, high energy biscuits and water purification tablets on an immediate basis", the DC revealed.
The feudal set up has affected the district Kashmore the most as during the heavy flash flooding, to save their crops and land, the big landowners themselves made breaches in the canals to divert the canal water away from their villages. Also the district disaster management authorities seemed to be completely helpless from the non-availability of funds. More than 95 percent of the district including 38 union councils have been swept away from heavy flash floods. The casualties reported so far in the district are 21 with 46 injured. Presently 12545 people are sheltered in the 31 relief camps.
Before the start of the monsoon, the PDMAs were warned by the Met Office and the NDMA that they have to make essential arrangements to avoid maximum risks during the natural calamity. Reportedly, the PDMAs of Sindh and Punjab claimed to have Rs 5 billion each to cope with the losses and damages during the floods, while the Balochistan and Sindh provinces, reportedly assured the federal government that it had Rs 3 billion for relief activities during the heavy monsoon season.
"Why is the PDMA Sindh not releasing the funds to the district disaster management authorities as it has already assured the federal government that it has the funds", the Federal minister for Climate Change, Rana M. Farooq Saeed Khan questioned the PDMA officials angrily and the concerned official kept his lips sealed, with no answer at all.
The same situation persisted in Jaffarabad (Balochistan) where more than 95 percent area was under water and most of the people, due to scarcity of clean drinking water, were forced to drink the stagnant water of the ponds and canals. This would certainly lead to infectious diseases like diarrhea, cholera, typhoid and even hepatitis. The miserable condition of the residents of Jaffarabad was purely the result of the fact that the PDMA Balochistan is looking on the whole situation like a silent spectator.