Clamouring to be calamity-hit: Why do districts like this word so much?

Growers can look forward to waived taxes, but poor people must make do with Rs20,000.

You’ve read the news that the government has declared eight districts in Sindh “calamity hit”. Farmers went public with this demand shortly after the rains fell. But what exactly does the phrase mean and why is it so important to them?

A calamity, as defined by the disaster management authority, is a “terrible disaster” that can be brought about by droughts, cyclones, heavy rain and earthquakes. “Any area or district where the intensity of damages affects human beings, agriculture and livestock etc. is declared ‘calamity hit’,” explains officer Sajjad Hyder Shah.

There is a little red tape involved. The district government officer (called a DCO) sends the recommendation to the chief minister. The chief minister then orders the revenue department to assess the area to see if it is indeed calamity hit. If over 70% of the agriculture, livestock and infrastructure of any district is destroyed, then the chief minister can declare it calamity-hit.

Majeed Nizamani of the Sindh Abadgar Board warned, however, that even the assessment numbers can be disputed. This year, for example, he says he can add Rs6 billion to the government’s estimates if you include the 100,000 livestock that perished. So far the government has said that 1.3 million acres of cotton worth Rs119.25 billion have only been damaged.

In theory

Once a calamity is declared, the government suspends not only agriculture taxes, but can also waive other kinds of taxes. They also fix the level of compensation for people and start relief work. The government can also write off small loans borrowed by the growers in the area.

Several districts were declared calamity-hit in 2010 after the flooding in upper Sindh. Did it benefit these areas? “The government always announces that the agriculture tax in calamity-hit areas will be suspended,” said Zafar Junejo with the Thardeep Rural Support Programme. “But no compensation is provided to people who lose their family members, livestock, and even houses.”

Junejo, an expert in disaster management, explained that there is little in it for people on the lower rungs of society, such as farmers and labourers. From 1998 to 2003, the government declared Thar, Badin, Kohistan and Kachho calamity-hit because of drought and flooding. “Only the agriculture tax is suspended, which is a joke for the growers,” quipped Majeed Nizamani of the Sindh Abadgar Board. A grower earns over Rs100,000 for harvesting an acre of sugarcane. Exempting the Rs1,100 tax barely puts a dent in the losses.

A technical glitch also upset the equation. “A majority of the people in these areas depend on livestock,” explained Junejo. ‘Calamity-hit’ only applies to people who owned farmland. They are then exempted from paying taxes for a certain period of time.

Thus, last year, the section of society that benefited from the government’s relief efforts was made up of the influential growers and landlords. The small-scale farmers and the poor did not come in the net. “Thousand of people lose their livestock in Thar and Kachho during droughts,” added Junejo. “The government fulfils its responsibility to declare the area calamity hit, but not a single penny is given to them.”

Many farmers are also simply not aware of the bureaucratic process and the benefits they may be eligible for. Many people in the calamity-hit districts - Badin, Mirpurkhas, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tano Allahyar, Tharparkar, Sanghar, Umerkot and Nawabshah - do not know that their loans will be written off. Their protests and demands for relief and shelter have been met with assurances of Watan Cards but their patience is running thin. The Watan Cards, which give a family Rs20,000, were distributed last year. But for farmers who have lost everything, the amount is barely enough. “I have lost all my belongings. My house has been damaged. I have borrowed Rs40,000 from my landlord but they are giving us Rs20,000 in Watan Cards, how will we manage?” demanded Hanif Khatti, a resident of a relief camp in Badin Town. “I ask them to build my house, that is enough for me, but they ask me to wait. How long will we wait here?”

The government can also help calamity-hit farmers get back on their feet with farming materials. According to rehabilitation minister Muzaffar Shujra, farmers who lost their crops last year have been given seed and fertiliser. But, here too there is a problem. “A few people with genuine claims have received the seed and fertiliser,” said Nizamani of the Sindh Abadgar Board. “The government has handed the bags over to the district presidents who distributed them to people of their own party.” And so, while nature has been indiscriminate, humans can do the opposite.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th,  2011.