KARACHI:
The ongoing floods in Pakistan are causing unprecedented damage and destruction. This fury is not just brought about by the nature, it is man-made too. There are three main reasons behind the floods turning uncontrollable and inflicting immense sufferings on the population in Khyber-Paktunkhwa and Punjab provinces, in particular. They are:
1) Lack of dams: Construction of dams is a continuous process. Look at China and India which have never delayed a dam as and when needed. But in Pakistan, this vital aspect is badly neglected, mainly due to the lack of vision on the part of the policymakers as well as absence of trust among the provinces.
2) Growing population: Due to excess population, policymakers have not been able to cater to the housing needs of the people, who are forced to occupy riverbeds, lakes and mullahs — something that causes drainage problems and adds to the flood fury.
3) Incapable political class: The politicians in the country don’t know where the shoe pinches. When in government, they spend the taxpayer money thoughtlessly. In order to hide their own weaknesses and failures, these politicians blame others for the flood misery.
Ravi Kumar Emani
Hyderabad Deccan
