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DAM-L monsoons in Pakistan
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From: Right to Water <right-to-water@iatp.org>
To: dianne@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca
Subject: A terrible calamity
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 18:21:21 -0500
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Right to Water (right-to-water@iatp.org) Posted: 07/25/2001 By daima@brain.net.pk
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Editorial in daily "DAWN" July 25, 2001 http://www.dawn.com
A terrible calamity
Islamabad received the heaviest rainfall in over a century on Monday, as the
monsoons lashed large parts of northern Pakistan with unprecedented fury. By
the next morning, between 150 and 200 people were dead and fears are that
the death toll may continue to rise. The most tragic incident occurred in
Dadar Qadeem in Mansehra district, where a devastating flash flood swept
through the village carrying large boulders and trees in its path. Some 70
people are believed to have died in the devastated village and many remain
missing. Buner and Swat districts were also battered by heavy rain causing
widespread destruction. In one village in the area, 14 people were
reportedly killed after being struck by lightning. While the mountainous
north was grappling with this disaster, the people of Islamabad and
Rawalpindi were witnessing unprecedented scenes of havoc. A massive
cloudburst of 620 millimetres of rain fell in Islamabad alone in a matter of
hours, destroying virtually every slum dwelling in the city. Large parts of
Pindi, meanwhile, were deluged as the Leh Nullah that flows through the city
overflowed.
As a result, large numbers of houses collapsed like packs of cards. Even the
city's main thoroughfare, the Murree Road, took on the appearance of a lake,
with the ground floors of most shops and homes deluged by the raging waters.
About 23 people are feared dead in Pindi with 9 killed in the capital.
Meanwhile, as the rescue operations continue, more bodies are being
discovered with every passing hour.
The disaster brings back painful memories of September 1992, when some 1,400
people died following heavy rains in Azad Kashmir and Hazara division. The
waters soon reached Punjab and Sindh, causing massive destruction in their
wake. Some 6.5 million people were affected by the 1992 calamity, 300,000
homes were destroyed or severely damaged, almost 80 million US dollars'
worth of crops and the infrastructure damage estimated at over 500 million
dollars.
While it is too early to make comparisons, Pakistan's battered economy can
ill afford such a calamity again. For the moment, however, the government's
foremost task is to organize relief and rehabilitation operations on a scale
equal to the exigencies of the calamity. Many people in remote villages
still remain trapped or perched on their rooftops or are cut off from the
surrounding areas without shelter or food. Thousands are now homeless and
threatened with destitution. As the water recedes, new crises in the form of
epidemics may erupt if early preventive action is not taken. The government,
relief agencies and public-spirited individuals must make a concerted effort
to help the unfortunate victims of the disaster, who have overnight lost
everything they possessed through cruel blows of nature. The authorities
need to launch an appeal for funds and essential items to be collected and
distributed on a war footing. Hours after news of the havoc spread, large
numbers of young men in Mansehra were seen lining up at the local hospital
to donate blood. It is this kind of spirit that must be tapped to make the
relief effort a success.
Development VISIONS
48-A, Shalimar Colony
Bosan Road,
Multan-Pakistan.
Phone: 92-61-222609
www.brain.net.pk/~daima
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