Pak’s deadly floods & global obligations  

Shazia Mehboob

Islamabad: The recent-past deadly floods in Pakistan have not only served as a wake-up call for the government and policy makers but have also served as a stark reminder to the international community, particularly wealthy nations, of their commitments in line with their obligations of cooperation and assistance under international norms and charters.

In this regard, it is their obligation to assist Pakistan.  The unprecedented floods in an already vulnerable country have devastated communities and decimated the infrastructure with huge financial impact for the country already in a dire economic situation.

It would be appropriate to say that if the world is a global village, the global powers should play a vital role in overcoming the humanitarian crisis globally in general and Pakistan in particular.

Wealthier nations, which are grossly responsible for climate change, must right the wrongs and support low-emitting nations like Pakistan which are suffering the biggest impact of the climate change.

The people of Pakistan, specifically Sindh and Baluchistan, are paying the heavy price of catastrophic climate change with their lives, homes and damages to infrastructure, agriculture and livestock.

Alas! The annual share of Pakistan’s CO2 emissions is only 0.67 per cent of the globe but the nation is the worst affected by the calamity caused by global warming and climate change.

Long-lasting and unprecedented heavy monsoon rains since June this year resulted in massive flooding that triggered the worst humanitarian crisis, leaving many parts of the country devastated and submerged.

As per NDMA, more than 33 million people have been affected, including approximately 16 million children, claiming 1,396 lives and injuring over 12,000 others.

The NDMA estimates that over 1.74 million houses have been partially or completely destroyed, with infrastructure damage of 6,674km roads.

Primarily, Sindh and Balochistan are the two most affected provinces in terms of human, food, and infrastructure impacts. People have lost their entire life savings, gathered after years of sweat and blood meant to get their children educated; because all people’s homes are submerged in muddy water and almost 90 per cent have been demolished.

Flooding has compelled people to relocate after houses were washed away, infrastructure was damaged, and rice and vegetable crops were ruined.

Women and children have been worst affected by the disaster as they have also been displaced and are living under the open sky with their families without the provision of any shelter. Women and children, being weak, are always easy prey of diseases due to seasonal hardships. They lack access to clean drinking water because all water is contaminated, natural bathroom facilities, and sufficient food.

On top of that, children are getting sick due to contaminated water and insect-vectored diseases such as malaria, dengue and other waterborne diseases. Education has been disrupted because schools have either been submerged under water or converted into camps to house displaced people in the flood affected Sindh and Balochistan. Most children are showing symptoms of depression and mental disorders due to the trauma and fear, as per media reports.

KnK Japan, after a detailed need assessment, has launched a project in collaboration with the Japan Platform to relieve the sufferings of the vulnerable displaced families in Jacobabad district of Sindh province, and Jafrabad and Sohbatpur districts of Balochistan. This assistance aimed to provide emergency lifesaving support to flood victims.

The core needs of sheltering affected people and improving sanitation, health and hygiene practices in flood-affected communities have been prioritised. As many as 48 dry pit latrines, each serving at least fifty individuals, are also being provided. In addition, 2405 individuals from the 370 families will be directly benefited by this support and will return to a normal life, which is an appreciable effort by the Japan government.

As first-hand observer to the stated colossal humanitarian crisis, it is urges donors all over the world to come forward and help heal the ailing humanity, who are in desperate need of assistance so that their lives can be saved from seasonal hardships and they can live a safe and dignified life again. There are solutions to transform societies, and it’s high time for multilateral and collective action.

The author is a journalist based in Islamabad and a PhD aspirant. She tweets @shizrehman.