Last year, the floods in Pakistan were considered “one of the worst natural disasters in history,” affecting 20 million people and submerging about one-fifth of the country underwater. This year’s monsoon rains have once again wreaked havoc, affecting at least 5.4 million people, with more than 475,000 displaced from their homes. The Washington Post cited the United Natons’ statistics, noting, “In Sindh alone, the floods have killed over 220 people, damaged or destroyed some 665,000 homes and displaced more than 1.8 million people.” Balochistan has also been affected by the floods. The Atlantic, in its coverage, reported, “The disaster has once again overwhelmed the capacity of the government to assist, and the UN has asked for $357 million in international aid.”
Given the enormity of the disaster last year, it seems we should have learned many lessons by now, at the very least how to better handle or address the impact of the floods, to better mitigate the human cost of the tragedy. And yet, here we are, exactly a year later, and the numbers are still climbing. A few weeks ago, Oxfam International‘s Pakistan Director stated to the Telegraph that this year’s floods are “already worse than last year, not because of the numbers but the impact on a population already severely affected by last year’s mega-flood.“
The director went on to note,
We have more and more mosquitoes, the water is contaminated, and there’s the risk of all the public health [diseases] because there is not sufficient clean water. It’s not just about the world recognizing it, but realizing it is something we need to respond to now. People who have been displaced for a second time can’t sleep at night. They’re on the sides of the roads without shelter, suffering from diarrhoea, they’re itching and scratching.
Before these latest floods began, nearly one million people from last year’s disaster were still without permanent homes. One. Million. That number is not only a reflection of the amount of people vulnerable during this latest tragedy, but also the inability of authorities and the international community to properly respond to those affected in the last year. Although the latest floods began in August, President Asif Ali Zardari waited until September 8th to ask for help (And now he has a “special control room.” I’m serious). BBC News‘ Orla Guerin noted, “At that stage more than five million lives had already been disrupted by the floods.” She cited UN spokesperson Stacey Winston, who stated,
We responded immediately once we were asked…Officially for us to go in and set up shop, we have to be asked. Within days of the government’s request the World Food Programme had reached 140,000 people and the World Health Organization had reached hundreds of thousands with essential medical help.
And what of the government response now? When Guerin asked PM Yousaf Raza Gilani if more lessons could have been learned from last year’s disaster, he replied, “You can’t compare the two. Last year there was flooding from the Indus River, this year it’s from the rains.” Gilani also went on to stress that fewer lives have been lost this year compared to last year – 350 versus 2000.
Um.
Human lives lost are human lives lost. We can’t compare or quantify in order to justify or scapegoat our actions, or lack thereof. Doing so will not help the families who are currently drinking the same contaminated water as their livestock. It will not restore the livelihoods of the millions who have watched their homes wash away year after year. How can these communities hope to rebuild their lives if they were not even given the tools to do so the first time around? How long before this cycle of disaster & dependency become what is considered normal?
In Pakistan, the monsoon rains are not unexpected. And God knows we have more than enough problems facing the country at this time. We have been inundated – literally and figuratively – with disaster, so much so, that we have been unable to keep afloat. But for those of us who care – and all of us damn well should – we can do more than just watch as our government fumbles yet again in the face of disaster.
In the latest Friday Times, Faisal Kapadia, who has done incredible relief work with Awab Alvi and others in Sindh [via SA Relief], wrote,
We may have good intentions but in time we get tired or the funds dry up and then we have no choice but to desert the communities we are adopting on ground. This is why I believe that every initiative should be tied to the local government and managed jointly. In this manner, the local government can point out where relief should be directed so no overlapping takes place. Often we have gone out with a plan in mind but have after being briefed by the local DCO realized that we must change direction because someone has already distributed relief there in the morning. Failure to coordinate with local officials leads to haphazard relief and then much grief for dependent communities.
This is a really important point. Sometimes in our efforts to help, we end up replicating what others have already done, making our attempts repetitive and relatively ineffective. I’ve also been interested in the nexus of innovation and relief, and how these types of solutions can become cost-effective ways of providing affected communities what they need rather than what we think they need. Organizations like Day One Response, which provides clean drinking water to those affected by disaster, can be potential stakeholders in the discussion.
So beyond listening, collaborating, and partnering with local officials and reputable relief organizations, think about how relief is only the first step in this recovery process. And while our energy is well-spent donating and supporting the relief phase, if the disaster taught me anything last year [via Relief4Pakistan], it’s that this same energy slows in the rehabilitation stage, which is just as necessary.
For suggestions on where people should donate, please leave a comment. Two reputable relief organizations that I think are doing incredible work are Karachi Relief Trust (KRT) and South Asia Relief.
Last year’s flooding was man made, at least that’s what I think. These floods were “engineered” in order to save agricultural lands owned by corrupt ruling feudal elite.
The aid pumped in by the world was also manipulated misused and swallowed by our leaders, otherwise we had at least 7 months to do something about the water.
Just look at the irony, large part of the year we don’t have water for our agri lands and all of a sudden everything gets flooded. Uh!!! Annoying situation though…
[…] The Deja Vu Disaster (changinguppakistan.wordpress.com) […]
I can just picture Zardari and Gilani in the “Control Room” sitting on plush leather recliners in front of a massive 68 inch flat screen, munching on popcorn and milk duds, sipping on Moet and trying to beat their personal best scores in Halo. And everytime a new level is loading, they switch to the flood coverage channel to “monitor” how bad the situation has gotten and how much they can squeeze out of the international community (gotta upgrade that gaming equipment to beat Rehman Malik’s high score!!!)
BASTARDS…the lot of them!
It’s like the Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget!
[…] The Deja Vu Disaster […]
I have been trying to look up reliable aid agencies as well, especially those who work at the ground level and I also ended back at Dr. Awab Alvi and his ‘flock’. They are doing fantastic work. Details about the project and how to donate can be found at their website http://www.help.pk . It automatically redirects to http://www.sarelief.com/2011/08/pkfloods2011/
The donate page contains bank account info as well as options to pay through paypal/visa etc. http://www.sarelief.com/donate/
I’ve talked to them about sharing website widgets and they pointed out that the chip-in button has a built in share code embedded.
i trust them and would recommend sending aid their way.
Thank you for highlighting this issue. We can’t stop or forget.
(And I can stop feeling like my tweets, fb messages and emails are falling upon deaf ears! Just because I blog about art, people don’t take me seriously.tsk tsk 😛 )
This is a good follow-up piece:
http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/09/27/floods-in-south-asia-how-to-help-the-poor-help-themselves/?xid=tweetbut
How can we decrease dependency & engage local partners during these cycles of disaster?
At this point the only hope is that the US will invade and then rebuild Pakistan–sort of a “mouse that roared” scenario.
Has anyone donated through Karachi Rellef Trust? Please let me know if this is a reliable organization.
Last year when the floods hit Pakistan, it was assumed that our beloved country has seen the worst of it and that we will not be experiencing such calamities any time soon. However little did we know that this year too nearly 5.4 million people will again be affected due to floods and rains? The United Nations has asked for $ 357 million in international aid, the international agencies and countries should respond to this call to save the humanity in peril. Pakistan is already involved in fighting one of the deadliest battles, so that terrorism could be eradicated once and for all from the entire world. therefore it is advised that Pakistan should helped with open heart and arms so that the whole world can once again live in peace and harmony.