Pakistan: Disaster management PML-N style

BY AZIZ-UD-DIN AHMAD

Of the seven major floods that brought large scale destruction in 1955, 1973, 1976, 1988, 1992, 2010 and 2011, one occurred when the PML-N was holding power at the centre and three when it ruled Punjab. One had expected that the government would have, by this time, prepared a proper strategy to deal with the disaster.

The PML-N leadership only wakes up to a problem after the worst has happened. There was absolutely no homework or planning when the over flooded Chenab entered the plains of Punjab.

The government was duly forewarned about the devastation that could take place. Hazrat Mir, Director General Met Office, recently told media that “Last month, we warned authorities of heavy rains during the first week of September and said that it would be “an extreme event”. Had they taken adequate measures in time, the devastation could have been prevented to some extent.”

Strengthening the organisations related to flood control, or undertaking planning and formulating SOPs enjoy no priority with the Sharifs. When the disaster occurs, they run around helplessly and end up treating it as a God sent opportunity for self- projection.

The party leadership’s kneejerk reaction after every disaster or tragic happening is to take out wads of money and distribute them among those affected under the glare of TV cameras. It thinks that by doing this it has performed its duty. The rape victims are offered money while little is done to stop the widespread incidence of the heinous crime by improving the police system or going for deterring legislation. The roof of a mosque collapses in Lahore because of substandard construction. No action is taken to enforce construction regulations. Shahbaz Sharif appears at the scene with the camera team and orders paying Rs200,000 to the immediate relatives of those killed. The compensation differs from place to place depending on the mood of the chief minister.

After police brutality in Model Town that deprived 14 PAT activists of their lives, the chief minister announced compensation of Rs3 million each for the heirs of those who died. No one was meanwhile arrested for ordering the firing. The underlying assumption is that the victims or their relatives would forget the atrocity after receiving the money. Thus state exchequer must bear the burden of the government’s gross mismanagement.

The PML-N leadership is again trying to make political use of the floods as it did in 1992, 2010, and 2011. When Nawaz Sharif visited Rawalakot and Forward Kahuta to meet the flood victims he made sure he was carrying the cheque book with him. He also ensured media presence when he handed over the cheques. A more judicious way to provide financial help could have been by fixing the amount of compensation for various categories of losses and send the cheques by post. Among other things this would save the recipients from the humiliation of waiting long for the prime minister and receiving the money in public. But this would have deprived Nawaz Sharif of publicity. T

he relief is offered by the PML-N almost as alms that must be delivered by hand. In 2010 Shahbaz Sharif would personally toss food packets from the helicopter to the marooned people while TV cameras showed the display of the philanthropy. Personal delivery not only provides projection as a leader who cares for the people but is also supposed to ensure greater reward hereafter for the virtuous act.

The PML-N leaders act like emperors while dispensing relief. The chief minister visits a flood affected area where people are complaining of neglect by the government. He instantly decides what one of the flood victim deserves. Shahbaz Sharif spent 10 hours on a single day visiting Jhang, Chiniot, Wazirabad and Sargodha. He travelled by boat to selected places and personally distributed food items and relief goods. At Midh Ranjha he gave a cheque of Rs6 lakh to the father of a young man who had lost life as a result of the natural calamity. Scores of young men have died in the floods. Why this case alone deserved the particular amount while others were given far less or altogether denied compensation is known only to the emperor.

The PML-N government made little preparations for dealing with the floods. Many are wondering why the present calamity was not better predicted, flood warnings were not issued with more urgency, and mitigation measures not undertaken speedily.

Adhocism, the hallmark of PML-N’s style of governance, was the major reason. The water and power ministry has to take the lead in putting the flood relief agencies into action. The minister simultaneously holds two portfolios, that of water and power and of defence, each requiring a full time minister. Fourteen months in power and the prime minister has yet to appoint a water and power minister who is required solely to look after the job. Human tragedies and national losses are bound to take place due to negligence caused by adhocism.

The Federal Flood Commission (FFC), under the ministry of water and power, has to play a key role in flood control. It is responsible for integrated planning for flood control at the national level and arranges financial resources for the implementation of flood management projects on countrywide basis. The flood communication cell of FFC is required to remain in operation on round-the-clock basis for the entire flood season (July-October) and a flood situation report is to be issued on daily basis to all concerned. A meeting of the flood control committee was told last week that the FFC issued a daily flood situation report early in the morning, but did not update it until the next day. In the past, a flood control centre worked round the clock and issued latest updates.

Adhocism rules supreme in the FFC also. Two years back its chairman was simultaneously holding two posts. He was the chief of FFC and also chairman IRSA. Currently, besides being the chairman FCC, he also holds the office of CEO Alternate Energy Development Board. There is no shortage of competent people in the country but the top positions in over a score of federal government corporations and autonomous bodies remain without permanent chiefs. Despite the floods becoming a regular feature in the country the PML-N did not care to appoint a full time flood commissioner.

The National Disaster Management Commission (NDMC), which is supposed to formulate a unified national disaster response plan, has not met since 2012. A 10-year plan formulated at the last NDMC meeting in the wake of the 2010-2011 floods, aimed at improving the country’s capacity to cope with future disasters, has yet to be ratified because the body has not met since. Also, district disaster management authorities have not been activated as yet because they are being run without permanent heads and staff.

As the floods play havoc in AJK, KP and Punjab, the federal agencies supposed to jointly manage the disaster are blaming each other for whatever goes wrong. The rapid filling of Mangla Dam has been questioned, so is the poor coordination among the flood protection agencies as well as acting on ‘unreliable’ information about flood data supposedly provided by India. The exercise is bound to create the perception that there is something wrong with the working of the government, which cannot make the agencies tasked to mitigate the ravages of nature perform their duties honestly.

The sole function of the PML-N government is to commiserate with tens of thousands of flood victims who have lost all that they had on account of its incompetence.