Flood alarm: Is Pakistan ready to tackle approaching disaster?

by Tauqeer Abbas
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Flood

 

Disaster Management Authority Khyber Pakhtwankhwa has issued flood warning for the province and has also directed the district administration to remain alert to address any emergency situation. This is so because the Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rains in Dera Ismail Khan, Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar Divisions tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the weather is cloudy across most areas of Sindh while Nawabshah, Shahpur Jahanian and Daulatpur has received light showers. Karachi remains cloudy as well.

Punjab, Balochistan, and KPK have been lashed by heavy rains already while intermittent rains are reported in central and upper Sindh. Khuzdar, Dalbudyan, and Kalat have also been lashed by heavy rains. The Met department has forecast that rains are expected to lash Karachi within next five days. Last year officials of KP and Fata’s Disaster Management Authority and departments concerned were directed to remain fully alert and monitor the flood and rivers’ situation round-the-clock in the provinces as the flood warning was issued, much like it is now. Why then was there a large loss of life and such devastation in the area if monitoring was carried out efficiently and warnings were disseminated well before time? The main reason was the infrastructure that rendered ineffective in the face of such devastating flash flooding. Has the KP government ensured that the rehabilitated flood affectees of last year were provided with flood resistant housing and infrastructure to withstand future events? It is highly unlikely. While political will is apparent in the KP government to become better prepared to withstand future events, efforts must be stepped up to improve infrastructure and emergency responses in the likelihood of loss and devastation. Setting up early warning systems are a crucial and integral part of flood loss prevention but implementation of effective evacuation and contingency planning is harder said than done. Disaster Management is a resource intensive operation one that cannot be effectively carried out with the centre’s support and allocation of appropriate amount of funding.

 

pk.shafaqna.com

 

 

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