Govt., UN joint working suggest wrong flood handling method

Refer to the news item appeared in the daily The News dated 12.11.2010, under the title “Government, UN jointly working to protect future flood damages”

In this news item, the suggestions given by Government and the UN economic and social commission of Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) both, are wrong in planning and in basic approach to prevent the disaster of super floods. The suggested methodology of resilience to all vulnerability and future flood disaster is not only wrong but also ridiculous. The basic question is not the rapid ability to recover but to build dams as early as possible. It is not possible to control super floods without the construction of multipurpose dams at Katzarah on the Indus River, and Guroh Dop at Panjkora River.

Contrary to this, the group (ESCAP) wants to strengthen “a culture of flood disaster risk reduction by resilience” after devastation, and not by the control on floods by building dams to avoid devastation. The group wants our communities more resilient to future flood disasters. This means we should be prepared to face disasters and have the ability to quickly recover. We are asked to develop recuperative power when hit by the super floods.

The group misguides to suggest that we should develop a culture of disaster risk reduction in Pakistan. The group suggests handling post flood disaster and its issues. The group should have wisely suggested multipurpose dams to control super floods—a vital pre-flood measure. Post flood measure is an event when damages occur. This should be avoided.

We should be seriously concerned in controlling super floods by dams and avoid all post flood issues that caused large scale devastation and destructions causing $100 billion loss. We have lost more than 2000 human beings. The group suggests to restrain losses to the minimum when calamity strikes. Why not avoid the calamity by dams.

The real solution to control super floods in Pakistan is to build multipurpose, 35- maf Katzarah Dam on the Indus and multipurpose, 8.5-maf Guroh Dop Dam on Panjkora River. These two dams will save colossal water from going waste to sea, bring barren area under irrigated agriculture, and produce more food to feed the rapidly growing population. These dams will produce environment friendly hydropower, act as watershed management dam to prevent silt flow in the Indus River and increase the lifespan of all the downstream reservoirs and serve as long time flood control structure.

Refer again to another news item in the daily The News dated 11.11.2010 titled “Pakistan to raise devastating floods issue at UN conference”

It is a fact that greenhouse gases emission from developed and rich countries has caused global warming that resulted in devastating floods, ruining 22% of the most fertile and thickly populated area in Pakistan. It is the cash rich industrial countries responsible for greenhouse gases emission by presenting a strong linkage between global warming and recent devastating floods in Pakistan. Pakistan has therefore the right to claim $100 billion as compensation in flood damages due to climate change brought by the cash rich countries.

The poor countries suffered massive direct and indirect losses due to global warming because of the greenhouse gases emission by the rich countries.

Research work shows that global warming due to increasing emission of greenhouse gases by industrial nations was the main cause of floods in Pakistan.

Environmental expert said the recent floods have clearly proved that Pakistan is one of the worst victims of global warming despite the fact that it emits just 0.4 % of world greenhouse gases. The OIC has also formally blamed the flooding in Pakistan on global warming.    

Refer once more to the daily The News dated 12.11.2010 titled “CSO’s claims flaws in assessment of flood damages”

About 91 % claim flaws in assessment of flood damages. They said the visiting team did not inquire about the losses that includes millions of livestock, millions of houses, millions of acres of cropland, and almost all infrastructures in an area of 22% of Pakistan most populated and fertile area affected by floods. More than 2000 human beings were killed and more than 80% of reserved food stock were lost. The total direct and indirect losses are estimated to be $100 billion. The international community releasing greenhouse gases may pay for the losses. They should help recover flood losses due to global warming.

In addition to this, Pakistan suffered losses of more than $40 billion on fighting war on terror for the sake of world community. Pakistan is war torn country by the extremists because of protecting other nations. Besides this, unemployment and poverty is rampant. Pakistan cannot bear the burden of more loans to meet expenses on floods and to fight terrorism.

In view of the difficult circumstance beyond the control of Pakistan, the existing foreign debt at $55 billion may be waved off for the reasons of devastating floods and for fighting terrorism, keeping in view the stability of Pakistan required in the world interest to contain terrorism. Terrorists have destroyed thousands of schools, thousands of mosques, shrines almost in all cities of Pakistan besides shopping centers. They have destroyed roads, bridges and killed thousands of innocent people. The world community should pay for it as they imported terrorism to play politics. Terrorism must be contained otherwise it will spread all over the world.

Help in kind and not in cash       

I would recommend that the international community may help us in kind and not in cash. They should help build the 35-maf Katzarah Dam on the Indus and the 8.5 maf Guroh Dop Dam on Punjkora River.

The other vital project is to modernize the 150 years old, highly wasteful, incompatible, and obsolete Canal Irrigation System in the Indus basin.

After the execution of these three vital projects, we would economically become strong and would successfully defeat terrorism in which we are pushed in at international level.

In fact, this war is not our created war but Pakistan is caught in to the cobweb to share others war. In spite of jumping in to others war, whom we helped and suffered irreparable losses for their sake, they in return did not help us. On the contrary, they repeatedly say do more. We have done our best but they did not sincerely help. They refused to help us in Kashmir to settle the 60 years old dispute. So is the dispute of Junagarh, Manawadar and Hyderabad. The dispute of Kashmir is very serious as it can create water war or incite terrorism in the sub-continent.