Flood disaster and the authorities' apathy!  

Imdad Qazi, Secretary General,  

Communist Party of Pakistan.   

In Pakistan, torrential rains have turned into floods. Water flowing from rivers rapidly approaches the sea through its embankments and bunds. The river flooding has impacted only those living inside the embankments known as the Kacha region. On the riverbanks, beneath the open sky, is where this community is compelled to reside. However, due to the flash flood created by severe rains, several villages, towns, and cities are constantly being flooded.  

Floods have destroyed vast regions of Baluchistan, Sindh, Saraiki Waseb (South Punjab), Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit. This territory encompasses about half of the whole country. The official statistics indicate that almost 1200 lives have been lost. In reality, this figure only counts the deaths in cities. Those residing in the villages or mountains, particularly in the regions of Baluchistan, their whole families have been wiped away and are not even included in the population count. Among them, there will be many thousand fatalities. As of September 3rd, the data indicates that around 35 million individuals have been affected by this flood.  

These monsoon rains, which started on June 14th, have exceeded their 30-year record. These rains have severely impacted 31 districts in Baluchistan, 23 districts in Sindh, 9 districts in Pakhtunkhwa, and 3 districts in Punjab. More than 793,900 livestock have died due to these rains and subsequent flooding (All of these numbers are substandard official data; the actual number is much greater). More than 735584 houses have been destroyed, while 1427039 homes have been damaged beyond repair. 145 bridges and almost 3000 kilometers of roads have been destroyed. 17562 schools have been destroyed or are no longer functional. Several standing crops have been flooded. The economic damage exceeds 10 billion and 500 million dollars. Pakistan's average yearly rainfall for the last three decades has been 130.8 mm. However, recent rainfall has been 354.4 mm, significantly higher than average.  

However, the issue is not whether the severe rains contributed to the Calamity. The real issue is that this much amount of rainfall occurs around once every ten or eleven years, yet the government takes no precautionary measures in advance. The feudal lords and Seths in government, capitalists, and the civil and military bureaucracy always profit from natural disasters, whether floods or other types of catastrophes. The amount of money received as donations, whether as aid from other countries, the loan, subsidies from the national budget, or the allotted fraction of the overall development budget set aside for the relief work. It is estimated that only 10 percent of the funds go toward the legitimate cause, while the rest are funneled towards corruption. Although there are some NGOs, the level of corruption inside them is on par with that seen in government institutions. Some wealthy business people donate money to nonprofits in order to qualify for tax relief offered by the government. Only a few people step forward to provide aid, which eventually helps a few of the victims. 

Therefore, exploring the factors that lead to this destruction is crucial.  

1. During the British colonial era, the land was surveyed. Natural rainfall drains heading to the sea were not surveyed at the time and were categorized as non-agricultural land. Following the creation of Pakistan, the Feudal lords were included in the governments and increasingly began to occupy those lands. They started cultivating those lands and even building their mansions on them. This process has become increasingly prevalent since past 40 years. As a result, the natural rainfall channels have been obstructed. When it rains heavily, the water flows from wherever it finds its way and destroys villages due to channel obstructions. 

2. Similarly, if water flows towards these feudal lords' lands, it will be redirected by damming in the other direction, even if it submerges a town or village. 

3. Even inside the river, feudal lords have erected private dams and encroached on public meadows and forest areas for private farming. This has limited the river's passageway to congested pathways, which is why the military outposts and feudal lords' agricultural land are protected by breaking those dams. 

4. Illegal construction of hotels and residential settlements has occurred along the riverbanks and sometimes inside the river passages themselves. Because of this, many of these structures are destroyed whenever there is flooding by heavy rainfall. 

5. The country's forests are being chopped down indiscriminately. More than half of the forests in the plains have been chopped down and replaced with commercial farming lands. Similarly, for commercial housing schemes, countless hectares of agricultural land and premium mango plantations are being removed. Bahria Town (Private) and commercial projects of military officers such as Defense Housing Authority, the Bahria Foundation, and the Askari projects are being developed into housing societies. In Pakistan, real estate and housing societies are considered more profitable investments than industry. 

Currently, the rains and subsequent flooding have caused a human tragedy. 

1. Flood victims are living on the banks of highways and canals under  the open sky. Government is responsible for providing them with housing. Everyone who is there should be supplied with a tent till then. 

2. The grain stored for food by people has been destroyed or drowned in water by these severe rains. Only around 10% of the affected get food assistance from the government. Some families are receiving food from philanthropists out of humanitarianism, but for how long? So long as the water does not flow off the land, the government must provide for their needs in food. 

3. In people, the spread of skin diseases, malaria, diarrhea, and seasonal fever is accelerating. Diseases are spreading similarly in animals. Therefore, the chain of mobile dispensaries has to get going right now. 

Comrades from the Communist Party of Pakistan and its fronts, the Democratic Students Federation, the Sindh Hari Committee, and the Democratic Youth Front are working hard to collect food, tents, clothing, and medicines from their neighbors, friends, and comrades. They have been holding daily demonstrations to show their support for the victims of the floods and to put pressure on the government to provide them with tents, food, medical aid, and compensation for their dead, injured, and livestock. In addition, they have been making efforts to secure compensation for their destroyed houses and crops. To counter the government's propaganda, our comrades are raising awareness in the masses that this disaster was caused by the corruption and incompetence of those in positions of authority, not by our sins. They strive to educate the general populace that this system is broken and that people must organize to bring about a revolution to change it