Learning lessons from the Battagram incident

Major reasons for the delay in rescuing the affectees were unawareness of the area and lingual barrier.

Last week, two adults, along with six students, were stuck in a chairlift in a remote valley of district Battagram, K-P. The affectees were on their way to their school on a scrap chairlift that was made locally. After travelling a small distance, two of the three cables snapped and left the chairlift dangling in mid-air 600- feet above the ravine.

Fortunately, all the stranded individuals were rescued by midnight within 16 hours. The Pakistani Army, in collaboration with local people and cable experts, started the operation and rescued all the stranded persons safely. This incident remained the point of attention for national as well as global media throughout the day. It became the top search on several social media outlets.

Now, let's think out of the box. Let's not indulge in traditional point-scoring and blame-game. Instead, let's examine the reasons for choosing such a dangerous voyage. Why do people risk their lives to travel through such dangerous zip lines? Has the government ever tried to provide an alternative to this? Has there been any survey conducted in the past to know the possible solutions to this zip line, and has its safety ever been tested? What steps did the government take to regularise the zip lines and other transport sources in the area?

The actual problem lies in the fact that no issue is concluded properly. The whole nation follows the hype created by the mainstream as well as social media. The effervescence of the whole nation in such situations is incredible. However, the feelings of patriotism and unity that are generated amid such incidents are usually ephemeral. Every time an incident takes place, an overwhelming but transient response from society comes into play. No one ever takes interest in the aftereffects. One is seldom concerned about the response of the government or the future policy to avert such incidents. Public figures come and capture the senses of the people through their facetious gestures and divert their attention. And this cycle of poor governance and impractical priorities continues unendingly.

There is much to learn from this incident. Focus on the provision of basic and safe infrastructure throughout Pakistan is crucial. The government should work to build hospitals, schools, roads, etc. throughout Pakistan. It will result in bringing parity among the regions of the country and will ensure uniform development. Incidents of this nature would be easily averted. Underdeveloped areas will have an opportunity to catch up to the country's developed parts in terms of development. In this regard, CPEC has played a key role by expanding transportation networks and developing economic zones in all provinces. However, more work needs to be done to lower the disparity among areas of Pakistan.

This episode should serve as an example to help prevent future incidents from the same sources in other parts of the country. Disaster management platforms at local levels ought to be established for the timely provision of help in times of calamities and difficult situations. Temporary arrangements cannot be relied upon. For instance, about 20 people in District Shangla and Kohistan lost their lives to floods last year. Their lives could have been saved had there been a local disaster management authority. Therefore, a local authority having people with expertise and know-how of local areas should be established. They will prove more beneficial than traditional disaster management because the general approach of central disaster management authorities like NDMA is not always effective.

The Battagram incident proved this fact. Major reasons for the delay in rescuing the affectees were unawareness of the area and the lingual barrier. Urdu is not Pakistan's most widely spoken language. Less than 20 per cent speak it. Local rescuers would be able to gain confidence through common language and the know-how of the area. The plethora of disaster-related challenges to Pakistan amid climate change, as well as due to the country's geographical location, unfortunately, makes the establishment of regional and local authorities ineluctable.

In a nutshell, Pakistan is prone to climate calamities and social disorders. Building infrastructures that are commensurate with the problems the country is facing is inevitable for Pakistan. Otherwise, economic losses like that from fuel expenditures of helicopters, firefighter trucks and other urgent rescue operations will cost Pakistan heavily. On the other hand, having a secure infrastructure would aid in limiting rural-to-urban migration in search of better living conditions. Congestion of the population in urban centres would be controlled. A uniformly developed and sustainable society shall be established. Above all, an organised society and, consequently, sustainable development would be possible in Pakistan by ensuring human development. Thus, citizens would be better served by the country, and the disquieting traditions of the society would vanish.