Yes, the river bank encroachments have contributed to the devastation caused by the floods but one has got to go and see the living conditions of the people living there. The majority of the inhabitants don’t have any place to go from there.
Making mere announcements of quitting the land they’re living on and not giving them an alternate shelter at the same time is not a solution to their problems.
A very good point raised by the writer is regarding deforestation. The timber mafia is busy consuming our natural defence against floods since the inception of this country. Forests are disappearing at a very rapid pace and floods in the future will be even more dangerous and lethal because tree cover can to some extent help regulate the flow of water.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 7th, 2010.
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