Balochistan: RESCUE AND RELIEF FOR FLOOD AFFECTED PEOPLE

More than 0.8 million people are serious affected in rains and floods in three major districts of canal irrigated region of Naseerabad and Jhal Magsi where hundred people lost their lives during the past two weeks. The affected people claimed that they had received food and some eatables 15 days after the disaster lashed the region one again in two years. It is a serious charge as the Government was busy in change of guards posting Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner a few days before the relief operations started. The Pakistan Army extended its rescue operations from nearby Jacobabad and Rajanpur Districts to Naseerabad Division on Balochistan using several helicopters and about a dozen boats to take the marooned people to the safer places or higher ground. It is the second disaster that had lashed Naseerabad Division and Jhal Magsi in two years time. The Government failed to come to the expectations of the affected people during the 2010 rains and floods and the affected people are still shelter less and having no means of livelihood for the past two years. The level of disaster was much greater in 2010 than during the current year as more people were affected and destruction of property, livestock, household belongings and poultry was great. We thought that the Government and its agencies are better organized this time serving the people in a more efficient manner. But it was a complete disappointment that the Government is handling the task single handedly disallowing the NGOs to provide relief to the affected people presumably for political reasons. Some Government leaders thought that the Government earned a bad name and the NGOs were praised for their marginal work, both in relief and rehabilitation fields. There role was zero in rescue operations as they had no means and manpower to undertake massive rescue operation. Only Army can do the job and even the district administration is helpless in natural disaster. With the creation of National Disaster Management Authority, hopes were raised that the State will be better organized and equipped to deal with floods, rains, earthquakes, cyclones and even in manmade disaster. But it is a distant dream of some people that NDMA and PDMA will perform all the jobs relieving the Army and defence forces from jobs of rescue and relief operations in case of natural or manmade disasters. We have suggested in these columns in the recent past that the Government should establish several major disaster management centers in Sibi, Dera Murad Jamali, Khuzdar, Turbat, Kharan, Loralai and Awaran where all equipment should remain available and the police and Levies forces be trained in rescue and relief operation at the local level. There should be technical training for the personnel from Police, Levies and Balochistan Constabulary even at the District level to meet the future challenges.