Rain wreaking havoc

Rains in K-P and Punjab have once again caused much havoc resulting in loss of lives and damage to property

The rains in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Punjab have once again caused much havoc resulting in loss of lives and damage to property and infrastructure. Despite the regularity with which rains and flash floods lash different parts of the country, the various federal and provincial authorities as well as disaster management bodies appear to have learnt little and continue to adopt a lacklustre approach to preparing for the monsoon. Spending on disaster management and infrastructure that can withstand the elements is one of those governmental tasks that does not always yield a lot of publicity and plaudits. Unless it is an election year and the goodwill of a particular region is assumed to be tied to the quality of local infrastructure, the reconstruction of roads, fixing leaky sewage pipes, and unclogging drains is not something any politician usually wants to bring up. Every year, large parts of Pakistan receive substantial amounts of rainfall during the summer months and every year, without fail, this rainfall causes loss of life and property.



While some damage caused by excessive rains is inevitable, the regularity with which blockage of roads, collapse of buildings and drownings in flash floods occur during the monsoon season should have jolted our authorities into more substantial action a long time ago. It is quite impossible to ensure that accidents will not occur at all during dangerous weather but routinely taking preventative measures could save some lives that are needlessly lost. Rain-related incidents in K-P and Punjab have resulted in deaths and severe injuries and the tragedy is that such incidents have been happening with a depressing frequency year after year, with the authorities remaining unmoved by the plight of ordinary citizens. Granted that Pakistan has a limited supply of funds to spend. But it is also a fact that traditionally the focus has been more on flashy, large-scale megalithic projects rather than on the day-to-day maintenance work and upkeep. The building of barriers next to a river or canal to prevent a child from falling in, or the insulation of power lines to prevent outages are not always considered attention-worthy but they are ultimately the precautionary measures which make the life of an average citizen better and accident-free.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2016.

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