The annual floods in Sindh are the effect and not the cause. It is important to look at the cause and not only at the effect. A major cause of the floods in Sindh is the flood waters of the tributaries of the Indus which flow unchecked to Sindh. Tarbela dam and any other dam to the north of it cannot trap the flood waters of Kabul, Chitral, Haro and Soan rivers. Without bigger water reservoirs up north, the flood waters of these rivers will keep wreaking havoc in south Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. To keep worrying about the effect without addressing the cause does not make any sense.
Another cause of these floods is the lackof repair of tributaries, embankments and dykes in all the provinces. The agricultural department cannot indulge in post-disaster damage control and must take preventative measure. Given global climate change, flooding and disaster management should be paid greater attention to.
KHURSHID ANWER
Lahore