Provincial negligence: No relief for Balochistan’s victims
The government has not yet established a relief camp for flood victims in Balochistan, where hundreds of villages were washed away last month.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has not sent a team to help out flood-affected people in Balochistan, said a senior official of the authority, Brig Sajjad Naeem.
“We kept our focus on Sindh because we have limited resources in case of a natural disaster,” Sajjad said while briefing senators who met on Thursday to chalk out a strategy for providing relief to flood victims across the country.
Lawmakers are said to have raised Rs1.5 million over the last four days. Senators Dr Ismail Buledi and Ghulam Nabi Bangash criticised the government for “a discriminatory policy” and said it had failed to provide relief goods to victims of flash floods which destroyed 400,000 houses in Dera Allahyar and Rojhan Jamali areas in Balochistan.
(Read: Flash floods - Rains wreak havoc in Balochistan)
“No single camp has been set up for flood victims…this is injustice with the people of Balochistan,” said Buledi. Deputy Chairman Senate Jan Muhammad Jamali and Senators Rehmatullah Kakar, Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Jamal Khan Leghari, Muhammad Khan Sherani and Wali Badini also called for immediate government support for flood victims in Balochistan.
Criticising the government for its slow response, lawmakers from Balochistan said why they failed to build a consensus about the distribution of relief goods in Balochistan.
Lawmakers also criticised National Assembly members for not focusing their attention on fund-raising for flood victims.
“MNAs just went home after proroguing the session,” said Senator Bangash, adding: “They [MNAs] have nothing to do with the poor people facing the flood ravages in Sindh and Balochistan.” NDMA officials informed the special committee that six million people had been affected by this year’s flood. An amount of Rs69 million was allocated for development work this year.
As many as 248 persons were killed and 578 injured in heavy floods, which affected crops sown over 5.3 million acres in 23 districts in Sindh.
As many as 100 mobile teams of NDMA distributed 160,000 tents among displaced persons in flood which perished 13,236 cattle.
UN help sought
Lawmakers sought United Nations’ help in food security, shelters, health and water, especially for 300,000 people who are still living in relief camps, officials said. Pakistan and UN officials are holding a meeting on September 18 to chalk out a plan for provision of food for flood victims.
(Read: Seeking global assistance, govt briefs foreign diplomats)
Senators urged the international to extend support to mitigate the sufferings of the people rendered homeless in floods.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2011.
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Prayers for Balochistan. May God Bless them and save them from all calamaties. Aameen!
Where is the provincial government of Balochistan. Where are the cream of the creams DMG district management. Where are the all powerful DCs and omni present Commissioners. What is the most competant son of the soil Mr Lehri, the chief Secretary doing or he doesn't have time for such small matters. I cannot blame the CM because he is never found in Quetta. The senators of Balochistan should put their own house in order istead of finding scape goats in Islamabad. The corruption of Balochistan Government has multiplied after 18th amendment. It has more resources and more money but development is no where to be seen. Pakistan is become so fragile that it cannot afford to get wet any more. With the first rain the electricity is gone, canals are breached, bunds broken and villages inundated. May God's curse be upon the corrupt bureaucracy and inept politicians.
What is the NAVY doing. Bring them in with their rubber dingies. Let them distribute clean water and food until the authorities wakes up!!!!!!! They could be providing small amounts of RATIONS while the AID agencies are organising themselves.
Fire all the senior people winthin the NDMA. This year they should have been prepared. No excuses. With the calamities that has hit Pkaistan in the last 5 years, these people in the NDMA should have all the ACTUAL experiances that is required. They with the relevent mintister in the government MUST take the fall for this great tragedy snd must be FIRED without pensions.
The Commissionerate system in action! Why look to national authority for help first? The first duty is at local and provincial level.
The suffering public will get the chance in the coming year to get back at the inefficient Government by kicking them out and electing representatives from middle-classes who can possibly deliver services and relief to the public. But will the public take this chance or vote the same old faces in???? The choice belongs to the public. Even if they are un-educated they do know that they are suffering, and watching the tv and media coverage, I can see that they are making demands to the Government to provide relief. So, it is in the public's hands to topple the system or continue to live in this misery. Let's see what they do next year come election time!!!