Future of flood victims

There have been expressions of concern over the last few weeks from humanitarian agencies regarding the rehabilitation of the millions across the country who suffered as a result of the titanic floods which swept across the country in 2010. UK charity Oxfam had, a short while ago, stated in a press conference that people were suffering as a result of failure on the part of authorities in Pakistan to launch a comprehensive recovery plan and begin its implementation in practical terms. Based on a survey, Oxfam had noted that what people desired most was not handouts but livelihoods. The UNDP and the National Disaster Management Authority have since then announced a more detailed plan to help people recover from the devastation that destroyed their homes, their lands and their lives within minutes. The plan envisaged by the agencies includes measures to tackle the destroyed agricultural sector, curb employment, rebuild infrastructure and improve education and health.

It has been made clear that funding is required for this. Agencies have, for some time now, been complaining of a drying up of the money coming in for flood recovery measures. We have seen in the past that the attention span of the world community in the aftermath of disaster is often short. This is all the more true when focus swings away as it has now, with multiple disasters in Japan necessitating the need for relief workers to go to the stricken nation. It therefore seems somewhat unlikely that more money is going to come in from overseas. We need to find our own means to ensure that flood victims are able to move back towards normalcy. The absence of facilities in so many locations even before the floods adds to the difficulties inherent in this. It is also necessary to take note of people’s fervent assertion that what they need most of all is jobs. As the primary stakeholders in the process of rebuilding, their views must be given priority and every effort made to involve them in the decision-making process, rather than steaming ahead on the basis of plans drawn up in offices.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th,  2011.