The proverbial saying, “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me,” perfectly encapsulates the misery of the forsaken underbelly of this country that gets ravaged by unprecedented flooding every monsoon season. Yes, the scope of destruction has been unimaginable this year but has the government even begun to connect the underlying dots? No corner of the country is safe from the vicious downpour and the death rate is well on its way to reaching a gut-wrenching eight hundred. That almost 300 of the lives claimed by the deadly waves were children further twists the dagger in.
Over two months in and Pakistan has not yet learned its lesson. The National Disaster Management Authority is sounding the alarm as loudly as it can, but no national emergency has yet been declared. While the federal government has earmarked 37 billion rupees as assistance for the victims and respective chief ministers are constantly reviewing the situation, the response is still far from satisfactory.
May it be seriously reaching out to the international community for cooperation in such desperate times or working on harnessing the public as a key ally in the relief measures, the drive to launch a rescue operation on a war footing is, to our great misfortune, missing. Had the authorities paid heed to timely weather warnings and initiated evacuation plans beforehand, thousands struggling for survival might have been saved.
The misery brought to millions as relentless rain swept away their lifetime worth of savings cannot be overcome anytime soon, especially by a state not ready to take the bull by the horns. However, just as heart-rending are ominous signs of the upcoming dark winter. Nearly 700,000 acres of crops were lost in Balochistan alone.
The trail of destruction well on its way to wreak havoc upon local markets where people will cry out for a morsel of grain or crave fruits and vegetables has outrageously landed at the bottom of the priority list. Would Islamabad open its eyes to one of the greatest tragedies in the short history of the nation or wait for another half-century before mending its ways? The worse of the catastrophe may be yet to come, but the more pertinent question is: are we ready with our best?
