Baloch in distress
SENATOR SANAULLAH BALOCH
Thursday, July 05,2007
The disaster in Balochistan has killed hundreds, swept through millions of people's homes, destroying infrastructure, livelihoods and plunged the region into high levels of flooded water. The catastrophic situation in Balochistan is not due to natural outburst, it's a man made disaster, outcome of one of the mega developments, "Mirani dam", applauded by military junta.
The damage is widespread, situation is distressing and disappointing. More then two Million population in the region has been effected, however around 1 million have become homeless and lost their basic agro-economic infrastructure due to the back flow of the newly constructed Mirani Dam.
Engineering inefficiency has caused this one of the worst tragedy of Balochistan's history; engineers and planner have designed the dam reservoir for 244-ft water level. However, the water level in Mirani Dam as on June 28, 2007 reached to 271 feet and submerged the second largest populace region of Balochistan. The worst-affected area is Turbat and surrounded population of Mirani Dam, where townships have been inundated or washed away by flash floods and embankment breaches in rivers. While, hill torrents triggered by torrential rain wreaked havoc in Jhal Magsi, Khuzdar, Chagai, Naushki, Washuk and in Mashkail regions in province.
The Government is in a state of denial of this human catastrophe that struck large population of Balochistan. The provincial Government went on to deny human casualties and the extent of the disaster. This goes on till the State's ignorance, lack of planning, inefficiency and unwillingness to immediately react to the disaster. The State has always used Balochistan for flying to do rallies with artificial representatives to give psychological boost to the Government's unproductive and flawed development agenda.
Several hundred deaths and missing cases have been reported so far in the area, and consequently mal-nourishment, diseases, lack of drinking water as wells have been filled with flood water and humid conditions will increase in death tolls. The recent floods, political instability, military and militant hostilities against each other, incredible provincial government have plunged the province in appalling condition.
Balochistan has not yet recovered from Ethiopian-like drought, which sustained for four years during1999 to 2003. Military operation in resource rich eastern districts of the province started in 2005, which has resulted in displacement of two hundred thousand populations of Dera Bugti and Kolu district, colossal loss of livestock and livelihood. The new flood crisis will have serious impact on socio-economic condition of poverty stricken Baloch region. Since the period of the current Government, the top officials with Ministers lined up have always announced aggressive plans to go ahead with mega developments such as dams, without considering aspects of planning, feasibility, and its short and long term effects on the people and region at large, whether it is Balochistan or Sindh.
Without local participation, knowledge and risk identification, developments bring disaster and same happened with oppressed people of Balochistan, where NESPAK, a Lahore based consultancy group prepared a controversial plan to build an estimated Rs 6 billion Mirani Dam in Kech district to supply future water needs for Gwadar. Upshot of Mirani Dam, completed by Descon Engineering Limited, a construction firm own by former federal minister of the present regime and inaugurated on November 16, 2006 by President Musharraf as resulted in the loss of Rs 40 billion to the inhabitants of the region. However, flawed plan and hasty construction of the dam has also caused destruction of the basic social and economic infrastructure.
According to a news report "The National Engineering Services of Pakistan (NESPAK), time and again, exploited the project in its favour by collecting tens of millions of rupees from the Balochistan exchequer under the pretext of collecting technical data and conducting surveys. It got Rs120 million for updating the data more than once. Similarly, it earned more money from time to time by offering its services to update the feasibility study during various governments."
Mega dams have always been discouraged by renowned experts of this field, and building Mirani Dam at the cost of local two million Baloch people is not only ignorance but a mega crime itself. The Dam has left a large number of people displaced and homeless during its construction, Rs1.5 billion compensation for displaced people has not reached the deserving people. On June 1, 2007, hundreds of people affected by the Mirani Dam project staged a demonstration in Turbat town against delay in payment of compensation. Police intervened and used tear gas to disperse the protesters and arrested 28 people.
Delay in provision of Rs 741 million funds, demanded by WAPDA in May 2007, for the compensation of land, housing, infrastructure and other required facilities to the adversely affected population of the project clearly indicate the federal government's ignorance towards the people of the province and Turbat district. Out of the total of 17,982 acres of land, the affected people of 7,669 acres have partially been paid compensation, whereas the affected people of the remaining area, which is 10,313 acres, are yet to be compensated.
Since the start of the project heavily guarded NESPAK and construction team was reluctant to share the outlines of social and economic impact and Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) of the dam with the locals.
The entire dam development process lacked participatory approach and fundamentals of risk management. Social, economic and environmental implications of the dam have never been discussed nor disclosed with the locals, maps of the flood prone areas were not prepared and neither shared with community which are basics of any mega flood related project. Today, it is the poorest of the poor in a poverty struck region who have to bear the greatest loss of insane mega development. Development in Balochistan has always been imposed by the centre and implemented by aliens. The province is governed by secretaries posted on the will and wish of Islamabad to accomplish their own version of development-exploitation schemes.
Top officials in the province lack basic knowledge, understanding and skills to deal efficiently and act humanly when it comes to the issues of human development. Vulnerability analysis like identification of the population at risk in and around Mirani Dam and settlements in the flood plains were completely ignored during the construction process. No useful information like flood risk mapping and communication tools were disseminated by any government agency to create awareness among the inhabitants about probable maximum floods and rescue strategies.
Flood risk mapping is one of the keys to flood risk management and should be readily available to the public as well as to emergency response agencies. Mapping defines the areas at risk. Maps become the common element in terms of identification of flood-prone areas, identifying the risk to individuals and lending institutions, preparation of emergency response plans, and design of flood protections and flood proofing measures.
When it comes to the killings and proscription of political elements in Balochistan, military regime is using best available technological resources. However, central government never bothered to use supportive technologies to reduce and minimise human risk through forecasting droughts and floods.
Dealing wisely with Balochistan's disaster, needs daring political and policy decisions. The following political and policy steps could help to restore Baloch people trust on government initiatives.
1. The central government should immediately end hostilities and military operation against Baloch nationalists; those have been rightly raising their concerns against flawed mega development project.
2. NESPAK and responsible individuals must be punished accordingly to restore the Baloch people trust on government, otherwise bitterness will increase among locals against central government development plans.
3. Balochistan flood affected population should be taken seriously and immediate state response should be given to the homeless people.
4. While provision of Housing, developing infrastructure, providing basic livelihood stuff, revitalising their livestock and improving communication resources government must divert mega funds and work should be undertaken by a committee of non-partisan under supervision of Supreme Court Judge.
5. Instead of sending frontier core and army troops in region to carry out relief efforts, there is need that local unemployed engineers, sub engineers, and degree holders in social sciences must be employed and trained in flood plain management. This act will enhance locals trust on development and increase their understanding on flood related issues.
Policy decision includes:
1. Procedures need to be formulated to avoid future flood damages, delineation and mapping of flood-prone areas to reduce damages and socio-economic losses.
2. Severity of flooding could be reduced and awareness on flooding can be disseminated through using of modern climatological forecasting system.
3. Number of supportive technologies like geographical information system, mapping, visualisation techniques are available to experts to communicate real time forecast and warnings to the people.
4. Detailed preparedness and response plan must be prepared and shared with all concerned agencies. Federal government should take a lead in bringing concerned agencies together, but should delegate planning of the details and programmes to the provincial and local levels.
5. There is timely need to improve relief capabilities of Provinces and local regions, those directly responsible to the people, and regions must be given direct role in operation of for\ecasting centres.
Email:
balochbnp@gmail.com
http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/july-2007/5/columns3.php