Flood devastation
BAHRAIN, SWAT:
With reference to the coverage of the floods in the country in your newspaper, may I say that the plight of people in some areas has not been highlighted at all so far.
For instance, I live in Bahrain (the one in Swat not in the Middle East) and for the past three to four days my family and thousands of others have been cut off from the rest of the country. No relief has been delivered to us so far, despite the fact that there is a strong military presence in the district following the operation last year.
The situation is so bad that all land links between Bahrain and Kalam (a distance of some 35 kilometres) further up the valley have been cut off. All bridges and roads have washed away and the number of those who have been displaced or affected is upwards of 200,000 in this part of upper Swat.
There has been no power for days, which means that there is also a shortage of drinking water. Since the road links have severed, there is now also a shortage of food and medicine in this part of Swat.
I would request the government to immediately begin helicopter services to this part of Swat so that food supplies and medicines can be at least dropped to residents. We are desperately in need of this help. This kind of flood we have never seen in our whole lives. The rest of the country needs to wake up and help us. I hate to say it but the plane crash cost 152 lives – the floods have killed over 1,300 and have displaced millions. The media needs to give it due coverage.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 3rd, 2010.
With reference to the coverage of the floods in the country in your newspaper, may I say that the plight of people in some areas has not been highlighted at all so far.
For instance, I live in Bahrain (the one in Swat not in the Middle East) and for the past three to four days my family and thousands of others have been cut off from the rest of the country. No relief has been delivered to us so far, despite the fact that there is a strong military presence in the district following the operation last year.
The situation is so bad that all land links between Bahrain and Kalam (a distance of some 35 kilometres) further up the valley have been cut off. All bridges and roads have washed away and the number of those who have been displaced or affected is upwards of 200,000 in this part of upper Swat.
There has been no power for days, which means that there is also a shortage of drinking water. Since the road links have severed, there is now also a shortage of food and medicine in this part of Swat.
I would request the government to immediately begin helicopter services to this part of Swat so that food supplies and medicines can be at least dropped to residents. We are desperately in need of this help. This kind of flood we have never seen in our whole lives. The rest of the country needs to wake up and help us. I hate to say it but the plane crash cost 152 lives – the floods have killed over 1,300 and have displaced millions. The media needs to give it due coverage.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 3rd, 2010.