Recalling the rains of terror

During the spell of rains in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), every news channel aired the joy of citizens who were enjoying the pleasant weather in Peshawar and other districts. We saw people having hearty breakfasts in Saddar Bazaar and Qissa Khwani Bazar and enjoying green tea, black tea or coffee. Yet, on the other hand, we also saw on TV, the polar opposite. The fact that people fell victim to the rains. According to reports, between March 11 and 22, the total number of rain-related casualties in K-P stood at 52, while the number of homes damaged by the rain stood at 153.

Last year, in the month of April, almost 50 people were killed due to severe storms and 267 people were seriously injured in Peshawar, Nowshera and Charssada and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) declared the storm a 'mini-cyclone'. Most deaths and injuries were caused by caved in houses and buildings. No food, shelter or medicine was provided in those damaged areas to help the affectees of disasters.

Then, in July, 2015, heavy rains, thunderstorms and flood caused by the melting of glaciers led to 36 human casualties. The flood also caused massive destruction, damaging schools, hospitals and irrigation systems and other important places.  In the October 26, 2015 earthquake, 232 people across the province died.

The experience of the year 2015 highlighted the mismanagement in almost every sector of government. Neither food nor medicine was provided to those who were directly affected by the disaster. Nor was shelter or compensation given to them on time.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and PDMA both are now sending text messages, alerting everyone about the weather. A question comes to mind. Is sending a text message enough?

The underlying gaps in both, the government departments and public's ability to effectively respond to the disaster can easily be seen in previous experiences. Not only are the government and district administration in serious need of revising the methods whereby they ensure the safety of the people and restore normality in the affected areas, but they must also educate the public to respond effectively.

Most people die just because the public around them doesn’t know how to provide first aid. People don’t know how to secure themselves in the event that they get trapped somewhere.

Sending alert messages and rescuing people after the disaster is not enough. Living in an area where climate change is occurring so rapidly, it is necessary to educate the public about the disaster and to train them to save their own lives and those of the people around them. This is important in areas where the rescue team is not able to reach.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st,  2016.