Getting it wrong — again

Given the frequency of catastrophic floods in Pakistan, it might reasonably be expected that there was a build-up of institutional memory and competencies when it came to dealing with them. It is blindingly obvious that this is not the case. Failure at just about every level appears to be the order of the day when it comes to the provision of flood relief. The latest to protest about the way they have been treated are villagers from Jhang and the surrounding areas, who complain bitterly that with Eid close at hand, the distribution of compensation cheques was either delayed or does not appear to be happening at all. The villagers gathered at the offices of the Jhang district coordinator to protest. It is reported that there are iniquities of distribution — the usual failure to coordinate being cited — and a failure to complete the list of beneficiaries in a timely manner. The flood victims protested for nearly 10 hours, but even if they got their cheques, their chances of cashing them before Eid would be slim indeed.

Meanwhile and far removed from the squalor and deprivation and hunger that is the life of a flood victim, the government is rattling the begging bowl in the direction of international donors seeking support for the alleviation and/or mitigation of the effects of this year’s inundation. This is somewhat disingenuous to say the very least as it appears that the government is sitting on money that could be used for reconstruction and rehabilitation. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar made a presentation to the heads of international development agencies to the effect that the economic impact of the floods will be around Rs28.3 billion, a sum that could be covered within the existing resources at the government’s disposal. To be specific, the government has not yet touched the $1.5 billion (a substantial Rs157 billion) that was gifted to it by Saudi Arabia last year and is currently parked in the Pakistan Development Fund. The disjunction between those protesting in Jhang and the corridors of power could not be starker. How not to do flood relief, a tragedy in many acts.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2014.

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