While visiting various affected districts of Sindh province last weekend I logically concluded that the response of the related government agencies, both federal and provincial, to the victims of heavy monsoon rains caused-disaster and destruction is ruthlessly slow. This is why the victims are dying of starvation, contaminated water and diseases.
Regrettably, the proverbial chatter boxes, the parliamentarians, from the said areas also do not appear to be doing anything to alleviate the miseries of their ill-fated voters in disaster. So far, more than 260 people have been killed in this devastating monsoon rains triggered widespread heavy moon rains triggered flooding in Sindh.
In this dismal performance of concerned governmental organizations, it is proposed that the government must apologize to the people massively affected by its slow response to the torrential rains and flooding.
Secondly, we must analyze what does repeatedly cause such tragedies and how all the services work, what should be done, what was not done, what we still need to do, both there and in other places where such things could occur? We must learn from our brotherly countries such as Iran and Turkey and others which are prone to disasters. Above all, a criminal inquiry may be launched against the government departments such as revenue, irrigation, public health engineering, and health and relief departments in the disaster-hit districts for not doing enough. Until and unless we take stringent action against the corruptors, such tragedies which will keep on claiming thousands of innocent lives due to lethargy and lousiness of the relevant organizations, in the pre-disaster and post-disaster scenarios.
HASHIM ABRO
Islamabad
