Unfortunately, we have not learned anything from past floods

Dr Abdul Waheed Mastoi
The political upheavals we have going on here only subside when a human tragedy occurs. During the corona virus, the focus shifted away from this political agenda for a while, and now the current flood is a second chance.
Almost a decade after the devastating floods in 2010, Pakistan has faced yet another natural calamity and this time the glory of nature was greater than before. Recent rains and destruction have exceeded the 2010 floods, and if forecasts are to be believed, this is just the beginning.
Government officials and others have repeatedly pointed out climate change and its effects. This time summer started early and it was intense too. While people were sweltering from the heat, we were hearing about premature and heavier monsoon rains and then this happened.
These rains were also as unpredictable as the early onset of summer. Meteorologist Ayesha Khan says that there was a risk of drought in some areas of Balochistan and now those areas are submerged.
The problem is that climate change is now becoming an excuse. It is just like 2 years ago ‘lockdown’ was an excuse. If anyone wants proof of this, listen to the conversations on talk shows where this phrase is heard over and over again. It seems that this is the excuse we use to exonerate ourselves.
It is obvious that climate change is happening as a result of global decisions and Pakistan being a poor country is facing its effects. But this is not the complete picture of the situation. It is true that the rains and their intensity are not in our control, but the destruction caused by these rains is definitely in our control.
We mention Karachi. Urban flooding in the city now occurs every year. This results in a lot of discussion for a few days but then it is forgotten. Poor planning and mismanagement and encroachments that cause problems have not been addressed, except in areas where the poor live. Thus, in the name of ending encroachment, the poor were displaced, while the big housing societies (which are built in name but nothing) were said nothing.
Images of cleaning of the drains are also released here as a duty, but it is not thought how to prevent the re-flow of garbage in the drains in the absence of a comprehensive waste disposal plan. Then when the attention turns to other matters, life starts going on the same old path and then the next year the same problems are faced. Karachi is just one example of our inability to find solutions to problems. We react the same way to climate change and floods.
In the rains of 2008, we found that in view of increasing residential (and other) needs, we continued to build houses closer to rivers, which became the main cause of large-scale destruction. This has been repeatedly pointed out during the criticism of inappropriate constructions in urban centers like Karachi and Islamabad. However, it seems that even after a decade nothing has been done in this regard.
Today we are again talking about the fact that hotels were built very close to the Swat River and houses were built in the Kacha area. However, it is likely that as the water recedes and the scenes of destruction fade from the TV screens, there will be little more than talk. This issue is directly related to our population and it is a problem that has been ignored for decades.
In addition, the 2010 floods made it clear that better planning would be needed to deal with climate disasters. This planning begins with early warning capabilities. This includes the dissemination of information from weather forecasting technology to the district level and vulnerable populations. In 2010, due to the failure of only one fax machine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa areas, the districts could not be warned in time.
There is a greater need for data collection, mapping and better planning of rescue and relief operations. There is also a need to map high-risk areas during floods and determine where victims will be evacuated.
If we don’t have an integrated flood management and disaster management system, all these things will be useless. Building this system would require a much better organization than the NCOC during a disaster.
The need for this system also came to the fore in 2010 when its absence caused significant losses.
However, there is a need to reform our irrigation department for all these things, which were discussed in detail in Punjab and the Supreme Court.
According to reports, in the report of the Punjab Judicial Commission on the floods in 2010, the Punjab Irrigation Department was held largely responsible. To understand the reason for this, see this excerpt from Naseer Memon’s report called ‘Malevolent Floods of Pakistan’. After the police, the irrigation department is the most political department. The appointment of grade 17 and 18 officers in the department is done by the Irrigation Minister and the Chief Minister respectively. These jobs are sold for 15 to 20 lakh rupees.
In fact, the inquiry was ordered on the basis of reports that the flood was diverted to save the lands of powerful people.
The reports also identified the officers of the department who should be held responsible. A Google search can reveal how even years after the reports came to light, the courts continued to approach the courts regarding the enforcement of these orders. This proves that the governments are not ready for any reforms in the irrigation department.
Postscript: An interesting thing is that in the report, the visits of politicians and government officials to the affected areas have been described as unprofitable. Not only the politicians but also the media should exercise caution in visiting these areas. There is a need for the officers to sit in their offices and make policies and implement them rather than distributing rations to the victims. This should be done by the local governments, if we have effective local governments.