Rain and pain

Lack of preparedness means groups of people, including flood victims of last year remain in a vulnerable position.

The metrological office has confirmed that the seasonal monsoon has begun in Punjab, where thunderstorms and periodic heavy rains have been experienced in many areas in the north of the province and also in parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for the past couple of days. As is the pattern year after year, season after season, the monsoon spell seems to have found municipal authorities in the province in their usual state of paralysis, with the civic infrastructure tumbling towards collapse each time it rains. Even though Lahore has yet to experience a truly heavy rainfall, sudden downpours have left areas of the city under pools of water. Things can only get worse as the monsoon moves in earnest, and there is as yet no sign of any preparations being on to spare citizens the misery that comes with flooded streets and blocked drainage channels. In other cities, such as Gujranwala for example, the drainage and sewerage system seem to have all but collapsed.

The problem points to one that is far wider and more harrowing in nature. The lack of preparedness means that groups of people, including the flood victims of last year who have still in many cases to be properly rehoused, remain in an extremely vulnerable position, exposed to all kinds of risks. This is especially true given predictions of a heavy monsoon this year, notably in northern parts of the country. People who live in inadequate housing are also likely to suffer worst of all, with deaths due to flash floods already reported from South Waziristan.

Given that the monsoon rains are a part of life in our country, we need to be better prepared for them. Civic authorities in cities and the disaster management authorities set up after the 2005 Kashmir quake need to get their act together and ensure there is better preparedness to manage natural events such as heavy rains, especially after last years floods. This may not totally eliminate the suffering of people, but it can go a long way towards making sure their hardships are reduced as far as possible and life in major cities kept running as smoothly as possible, without the disruption we routinely see at present each time there is anything more than a drizzle.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2011.