AS Punjab declared a rain emergency in many districts following widespread damage caused by torrential rains, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), along with the federal ministers for climate change and planning, to closely coordinate with provincial governments in formulating a comprehensive disaster management plan.
He issued the directive during his visit to the National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC) at the NDMA headquarters, where he was briefed on the current monsoon situation, ongoing disaster response efforts and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
There was surely an urgent need to prepare a comprehensive disaster management plan as the death toll from this year’s torrential rains and cloudbursts reached 178 besides injuries to five hundred others on Thursday. Pakistan is facing a serious climate change as evident from the fact that this year’s monsoon intensity is between 60 to 70 per cent higher than last year and overall 65 per cent above average across the region. Last year’s forecasts had indicated increased impact in northern Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Islamabad and Upper Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), whereas this year the brunt has shifted toward lower and upper Punjab, AJK and Islamabad — a trend expected to continue for another three to four weeks. While the plan promised by the Prime Minister will take some time to materialize, the scale of devastation and possibility of more damages call for an urgent coordinated strategy on the part of the federal and provincial governments to minimize the impact of the disaster, ensuring continuation of the routine life as four to five more monsoon spells are expected in coming weeks. Punjab, with 63 rain related casualties on Thursday alone (and 103 since June 26), is bearing the brunt of the current spell and that makes proclamation of the emergency understandable. It is appreciable that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz herself is overseeing the rescue and relief operation and the Federal Government including Pakistan Army are also extending all possible cooperation in tackling the consequences of the emergency caused by rains and floods. As part of immediate relief efforts, numerous individuals from flood-hit regions have been relocated to safer locations. Residents in rain-affected regions were also provided with life jackets, along with essential relief supplies. The provincial government has mobilized all relevant departments, including district administrations, police and Rescue 1122, to respond to the crisis. Boats, ambulances, helicopters and specialized rescue vehicles have been deployed to flood-affected areas where road access is blocked. Rescue 1122 continues to operate under extreme conditions, with many roads submerged and communication lines disrupted. Field hospitals and emergency medical teams remain on high alert. Public hospitals across Punjab have been placed on standby, with 24/7 control rooms set up to manage flood response operations.
Traffic police have been instructed to arrange alternative routes and the public has been advised to avoid canals, rivers, low-lying areas and unnecessary travel. Loss of precious lives can surely be minimized if citizens cooperate in enforcing a ban imposed by the Punjab Home Department on swimming in dam reservoirs, rivers, canals, ponds, lakes as well as floodwater pools in any spaces or public places. All this speaks volumes about the efforts being made by the provincial and federal governments to minimize risk and provide necessary assistance to the affected people. However, it is also a fact that most of the damage is due to carelessness of the people and inability of the civic bodies to enforce rules and regulations as far as encroachments and illegal constructions are concerned. Nullah Leh in Rawalpindi is the typical example of this phenomenon as this water channel continues to wreak havoc for decades despite announcements made by the successive governments to come out with a permanent solution. Apart from the fact that no government in the past took any tangible measure to tame the Nullah, encroachments are also there even today and filth of nearby areas is invariably thrown into the Nullah blocking smooth flow of water. Similarly, rains have also exposed the quality and standard of developmental work undertaken by our civic agencies and calls for stringent measures and accountability to ensure proper quality of the infrastructure projects and schemes. While appreciating the emergency measures being undertaken by the federal and provincial governments as well as Pakistan Army, it is all the more important to ensure rule of law by civic bodies and transparency in execution of developmental works as part of the strategy to overcome such challenges effectively.
