Impact of flood on children

We need a set of robust public policy responses to resolve issues of education and unemployment.

The recent devastating floods have had a great impact on millions of children. Floods of this scale have the potential to impair children’s emotional, intellectual and physical development which, in turn, could impair the nation’s future. We must tackle the flood’s root causes as we rebuild affected areas. As the numbers of flood victims show, we cannot afford inaction. Failure to invest in quick recovery of these areas will exacerbate our children’s long-term scarring from this disaster. Children are Pakistan’s future generation – they have borne many of this disaster’s costs, and greater poverty in the future due to these floods could worsen their educational attainment, earnings, health, and even lead to criminal activity. All these will have a ripple effect on the country’s future. Sources quoted in Pakistan media say six million children have been affected by the floods with 2.7 million needing urgent, life-saving assistance. In addition, 3.5 million are suffering from illnesses like diarrhoea and dysentery. Concerns about the spread of cholera have grown, particularly in areas where water is still standing.

Sensible, short-term public and private investments in children are needed in order to reduce the flood’s long-term repercussions. Some government investment would bolster income support and employment among poor and unemployed parents while other assistance would directly serve children most in need.

Floods have damaged thousands of school buildings and those which are intact are housing victims. Thus, thousands of children are now out of school and are falling behind in their studies. Consequently, they are more likely to drop out of primary and middle school in their teens, and less likely to opt for a college degree. Children out of school face social, economical and emotional issues. Their health also suffers – gaps in wellness appear early in poor children’s lives and widen over time. No education, bad health and poverty, among other factors such as discrimination in flood aid distribution, will result in change of emotional behaviour.

All this adds up to a higher dropout ratio, chronic poverty cases and health and psychological issues. What should be done in this situation? The first question to consider is what economic and fiscal costs could the floods impose? How can our relief and rehabilitation efforts settle families without any further loss?  Can our anti-poverty and employment policies fight these problems in both the short and long-term — especially with a tight federal budget? Unfortunately, at this stage our provincial and federal government has no answer to these questions. They are, as usual, fighting for their own survival. During our flood-relief efforts I met with a few elected representatives and most of them were anxious only about their own villages. This psyche of our elected representatives will create a gap in properly addressing relief and rehabilitation activities.

To address these problems we need a set of robust public policy responses to flood-affected areas to resolve issues of education and unemployment of the parents. Greater short-term government expenditures are necessary to mitigate the devastating flood’s harm to parents and their children, and for cost-effective longer-term strategies to reduce poverty. Failure to do so will not only hurt the flood-affected communities and their future but also the future of an entire generation.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2010.