Those who failed to perform their duty must be brought to book and given exemplary punishment.
ISLAMABAD: The coverage on television screens of those affected by the floods this year would bring tears to the eyes of any ordinary person. Clearly, the ones who are suffering the most are the poor, and the government has all but left them at the mercy of the floodwaters.
And even when the rain stops, the misery of these people, who homes and fields have been washed away, will be compounded by the inevitable outbreak of various diseases. Added to this is also the possibility that the rainwater could aid in the spread of the dengue epidemic, which is severe in Punjab and is slowly but surely making its way to Sindh.
What is equally, if not more, unfortunate is the fact that the government seems to have learnt nothing from last year’s floods. No preparations were made to deal with a similar possibility this year. The performance of the National Disaster Management Authority has left a lot to be desired and the same can be said for the departments that predict the flood every year. Had they performed their responsibilities properly, adequate warning could have been given to people to evacuate their homes, and dykes and various other embankments would have been strengthened.
Those who failed to perform their duty must be brought to book and given exemplary punishment. The way we sleep over critical issues is very discouraging. We only wake up when the situation has gotten out of hand and by that time it is usually too late to do anything significant.
The next step usually is to pick up our begging bowl and ask the rest of the world for money for help on the flood. Why cannot we use our own resources, since after all those affected by the flood are our own people?
Iftikhar Mirza
Published in The Express Tribune, September 18th, 2011.
