Phase two: Rehabilitation

Jati’s flood survivors return home to nothingness.

KARACHI: Residents of Haji Mohammed Fahim Goth in Jati have finally returned home after three months. Those whose houses were not completely destroyed by the floods are lucky. The rest need to begin from scratch. With no livelihood as such, the residents don’t really know where to begin.

“Crops have been washed away, most of the animals have died and our houses destroyed,” said one resident.

Jati is a three-hour drive from Karachi and is located in Thatta district. A number of smaller villages are located nearby at distances between four to eight kilometres. Most of the villages are inaccessible because the roads are inundated and, therefore, have received very little or no aid.

“Whatever few cows and goats survived is all we have left,” said an elder of the village. “Some of them are ill and will die if left untreated. The last thing we need is our livestock dying on us. We are in dire need of veterinary services.”

Otherwise, it will be a while before the villagers can go back to farming. Until then, they will be dependent on their livestock and whatever aid comes from NGOs or the government.

Much of this work is exacerbated by flooded roads. Going to the hospital, which is just a few kilometres away, is a hassle. “If we call for transport, it takes very long to reach us and at the same time, becomes extremely costly and unaffordable,” said resident Husna.

The Citizens Foundation (TCF) has been working to provide flood survivors with aid. Rations are being supplied to the residents of villages such as Jati. There are 420 families from 12 goths currently registered with TCF. Since accessibility is limited to nearby villages, the family heads gather at one point and receive their monthly rations from there and it lasts anywhere between 20 days to a month.

Phase II, ie, the rehabilitation phase has begun. The survivors have been sent back home but, at present, they have absolutely nothing to return to. It’s called the rehabilitation phase but considering that the flood survivors lack even basic amenities, one really wonders if the healing process has even begun.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2010.