After the rains
September 12th, 2012
About 0.7 million people have been displaced from Dera Ghazi Khan district in southern Punjab after heavy rainfall triggered torrents that raced down hillsides, hitting DG Khan city, too. The monsoon, which arrived relatively late this year, also flooded Rajanpur district and a state of emergency has been declared in both Punjab districts. Rains also fell across Sindh with flood warnings issued in some areas and the Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast further rains with the downpours also hitting Azad Jammu and Kashmir, from where widespread damage has been reported, mainly due to the washing away of homes.
The same questions arise as those which have come up in previous years: was there sufficient readiness? Were people warned in advance given that the rains had been forecast? Sadly, as has been the case before, the answers appear to be in the negative. Authorities need to tell us why this is the case and what is being done to prevent possible havoc in the areas in Sindh and Punjab where more rain is expected. It seems we have learnt little from the scenes of disaster and human suffering that we saw in both 2010 and 2011.
But this time around, there was a further and still more alarming element to the deluge. The hill torrent which ravaged DG Khan poured down the mountainside with such force for the first time in history that it threatened the nuclear facility in the area, triggering panic among staff. The torrent was diverted to the city to save the plant. This should make us think about the safety of our nuclear arsenal, which apparently faces a risk both from terrorists and the forces of nature. Safeguards are required to prevent possible catastrophe.
At a wider level, we need to put better flood control systems in place. In this age of technology, this is not an impossible task. Even if damage cannot be fully prevented, it can at least be contained — and this should be our principal goal given that we are familiar with the havoc rains can bring with them as they pour down from the skies.
Danger at sea
September 12th, 2012
The deaths of 10 fishermen, who drowned when their boat capsized soon after leaving Ibrahim Hyderi village near Karachi, raises a lot of questions about the state of water safety in the country. The fishermen set sail around the time of the high tide, when conditions on the seas are most treacherous. No warning was given to the boat and indeed, the fishermen should never have been allowed to leave by the coastguard in the first place. Instead, the fishermen were left to their own devices, with the other 27 men on the boat rescued by a passing trawler.
Those responsible for providing warnings to the fishermen before they set off on their voyage and for rescue efforts once the boat capsized are the coastguard and the Maritime Security Agency (MSA). Yet, according to the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, the MSA sent only one boat to try and find any survivors. This was a failure not just of pre-disaster management but also of post-disaster management. At all levels, the authorities concerned were unable to do their job, leaving the unlucky fishermen to face the ravages of the sea. The dereliction of duty on their part is even more startling given that the monsoon season is in full swing and adverse weather conditions should be expected.
There may be such incidents in the future and the MSA should learn its lesson from the Ibrahim Hyderi disaster. A system needs to be put in place to alert fishermen when weather conditions are too dangerous and the coastguard must ensure that no fishermen head out to sea when this is the case. In case of freak waves, where the authorities have no forewarning, the MSA must use not only multiple boats to find survivors, but it must also employ helicopters to track down fishermen. Human life cannot have a price tag placed on it and so questions of expense should not be entertained. In this particular case, the police needs to investigate if the authorities were at fault and register cases against those responsible. Punitive punishment is the only way to get apathetic officials to do their job.
A cartoonist in India
September 12th, 2012
Indian cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was arrested in Mumbai on a charge of sedition for his cartoons, which allegedly mocked the Indian Constitution. Mr Trivedi, a supporter of the Indian anti-corruption movement, actively participated in Anna Hazare’s campaign. He has been sent on judicial remand till September 24 and if convicted, his sentence could be up to three years. Rightfully so, Mr Trivedi’s arrest has led to criticism by the Indian media and other prominent figures, including former Chief Justice of India Markandey Katju, who claimed that such an act is unacceptable in a democracy.
In a democracy, citizens are encouraged to speak out when they have differences of opinion with the government, as that is the way to move forward, by incorporating everyone’s opinions in government policies and giving all citizens an equal say. Thus, when Mr Trivedi, a citizen, expressed his opinions — and possibly those of many in India — he should have been allowed to do so freely. His cartoons did not impinge on anyone’s rights and only sought to achieve an honest government for the improvement and advancement of India. However, recently, it seems that the Indian government has become more stringent on people’s expression of freedom. Earlier, the government banned Mr Trivedi’s cartoon website and in April, the Indian police arrested a professor in Kolkata for publicly posting cartoons that ridiculed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The fact that Mr Trivedi was called out by a lawyer, draws a contrast to Pakistan’s own lawyers, who showered Mumtaz Qadri with garlands for murdering Salmaan Taseer, a man who had spoken up against the misuse of a law. However, this is a surprising move by the Indian government. It is a violation of democracy and a person’s freedom of expression. While we cannot help but look inwards towards Pakistan on the anti-corruption issue, India should also show more tolerance for its people’s dissenting views — especially since the Indian parliament has been in turmoil for the past two weeks.