Civil society activists have asked the government to make urgent arrangements to drain floodwater from the areas of Umerkot and other districts of the southern parts of Sindh that are still inundated.
They said hundreds of families are living along dilapidated roads, under the open sky, without proper shelter and adequate amount of food.
Speaking at a seminar titled “Citizen Charter: Rights of Rain- and Flood-Affected People and Responsibilities of the Government”, organised by the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) in Umerkot, they pointed out that “low-caste” and marginalised farmer communities are suffering because landlords are forcing them to work without paying them their share of the crops and they are not safe at their homes and fields.
Advocate Ali Hassan Chandio, who belongs to a flood-hit village near Kunri town, said it is the government’s responsibility to rebuild villages and ensure water supply, proper sanitation, schools, basic health units and roads there. He said Watan Cards are not the solution to the huge losses faced by the flood-affected communities.
Ishaq Mangrio, a renowned Sindhi folklore writer and journalist, said officials sitting in their offices cannot feel the pain experienced by the families displaced during the disaster.
Sharing his experience from his visits to different flood-hit areas, Mangrio said despite the tall claims of the government, several villages and fields are still under water.
People cannot reach their abodes because there is no safe path. Those, who managed to reach home, are suffering from diseases, particularly skin problems. They do not have access to potable water, food and clothes.
He said the organisations working on the projects to rebuild shelters need to involve the beneficiaries. “I know a large number of people who do not have ownership rights of the land where their homes are built and whenever the village chieftains or landlords want, they can displace them,” he added.
He said there are five natural drains, which served as natural pathways for floodwater during the monsoon seasons, but certain influential people have occupied the courses of these drains and have constructed buildings there for commercial purposes.
“This resulted in a disaster for thousands of people. These drains should be revived to avoid catastrophes in the future,” he added.
Zahida Detho of the Sindh Rural Partners Organisation presented a list of areas that are still inundated.
She said the government has taken no step to drain water from these places. “The people there are living outside their villages in makeshift camps and tents and are exposed to health problems, particularly during this winter,” she added.
Detho said the first spell of heavy monsoon rains, which started from August 9, 2010, baldy affected Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Badin and Sanghar districts. The breaches in the saline water drains, especially the Left Bank Outfall Drain, wreaked havoc in these areas. The poor communities, particularly the “low-caste” Hindu farmers, faced hardships.
“The intensity of the rains and the consequent destruction can be gauged from the fact that several areas are still inundated,” she added.
During the programme, some flood-affected women and men also shared their grievances and plight.
Mai Rahima of Hingoro village said people in her area have been living in miserable conditions since the first shower and families are shifting from one place to another in search of better livelihood.
Mohammed Hajjan of Ganhwar Chandio village said her people have received little support from humanitarian organisations and the government has done nothing for them in terms of rescue or relief.
Shujauddin Qureshi of PILER said civil society organisations have prepared the Citizens Charter, which contains recommendations to ensure rehabilitation of flood-affected families without further delay.
He said five months have passed since the disaster, but the affected people still need help.
Before the seminar, a large number of Hindu women, belonging to different flood-affected villages of Umerkot district, staged a protest against the government authorities’ ill-treatment, parliamentarians’ ignorance and the cruel attitude of landlords.
