Kotri crisis

The flood devastation that carries on mercilessly has now switched its attentions from Upper Sindh to lower parts of the province. As over 900,000 cusecs of water pour through the Kotri Barrage, dozens of villages in Thatta are already flooded. Army officials and engineers at Kotri watch nervously as the water continues to come in, with high tides blocking drainage into the sea in Badin district. Around them, villagers attempt to put up walls of sand-bags to save homes and lands. It seems unlikely that a defence so weak will hold back the wrath of the waters. There is already panic around the Kotri area and even in Hyderabad — from where people have been moving away. The fact they have chosen to ignore official assurances that they are safe says a great deal about levels of official credibility.

There will be continued tension about the safety of Kotri for some days. It is clear too that along the banks of the Indus vast tracts of land stand destroyed. There are fears the areas around the mouth of the river could be worst affected. The flood crisis for now continues. But there is already a need to think about how the massive task of rehabilitation is to be handled. We hope the COAS, who visited Kotri, has been considering the possibilities. The military will need to work for months under the directions of the civilian setup to restore any semblance of normalcy. It is also evident that in Sindh the dangers are far from over. It is possible further evacuations will be required. The manner in which these were carried out in Muzaffargarh, Jacobabad and Shahdadbagh aggravated the suffering of people. Many of them are still without shelter, camped out on highways and roads in Balochistan and elsewhere. We must hope some lessons have been learnt and that future shifting of people that becomes necessary will be conducted in a more orderly fashion with everything possible done to minimise suffering.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2010.