Ali Jan Maqsood
Balochistan is yet again confronting the dilemma of floods in its southern region owing to a great many rainfalls in recent days. The recent floods influenced many families giving them losses of their properties and livestock in most areas as Shapok and Mand villages in particular. The flood has washed away the fields of so many farmers in the Shapok belt whereas it has caused a death of a great mass of livestock in the Mand area along with other nearby sites.
Historically, it is not the first time a natural disaster has affected the residents and compelled them to live a life worse than that of the animals, but the last floods of 2007 provided a great many losses to the locals of different villages in the same region (Southern Balochistan, specifically Makran division). Many nearby villagers migrated to the Turbat city where they lived under the open sky for years. However, they moved back to their towns in recent times owing to a rearrangement of lands back home. Dishearteningly, the recent flood is again going to drag them back to the life of hell getting them migrated to places they have never been able to cope with.
To a great worrisome, when they migrate and settle in another city, the local government body pays no attention to them other than that of pushing them back to the areas they come from. As per a Red Cross Report, around 6,682 houses during the floods in 2007 were completely ruined. Many of the people were in severe danger who were rescued after long sufferings. The report further unveiled two of the Union Councils (Nasirabad and Nodiz) were entirely destroyed whereas the third (Kosh Kalat) faced 75% destruction of houses. Sadly, the mentioned Union Councils recovered most of their losses with their self-support.
Coming to the massive earthquake of September 2013, the Awaran district was almost thoroughly damaged with deaths of precious lives and leaving many others as injured with property losses. The life of the poor families there got to a disastrous phase; leaving some devastated entirely. The saddening effects of Awaran earthquake are still visible in the region. As per a local of Awaran, “All of the present schools and most of the houses in the district are by today broken. Most of the families are living under open sky, some migrated and children are working from door to door in Quetta and Turbat only to acquire education.”
Albeit the province has been on the verge of flooding effects, the provincial government seems little interested in making a strategy for overcoming them. Besides this, the recent floods in the southern region affected around 20,000 houses making them completely homeless. Indeed, Mand is the domicile of Federal Minister for the Defence Production, Zobaida Jalal yet remained out of long term plans for the welfare of the residents. Temporarily, she asked the Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal, Turbat, to serve the affectees of the flood-affected regions and provide them with all requirements.
Whereas, Shapok and the other nearby villages are under the constituency of Provincial Minister for Finance, Zahoor Ahmed Buledai, who tweeted “I have visited the flood affected areas of Shapuk, Shahrak & Kikkin alongwith local notables. The concerned authorities have been asked for the assessment of damages to the areas and for immediate actions”, but whether the government-in-power stand on its said words is yet another dilemma for the locals. A province contributing much to the economy of the state deserves better treatment. The governments (Federal and Provincial) need to come on the platform to make long-term plans to provide the affected people relief in practical terms.
—The writer is a teacher, based in Balochistan.
