| November 13, 2005 | Sunday | Shawwal 10, 1426 |
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Oppression of women
It’s time to act
Beach fences
‘Choosing the right dam’
Child protection bureau
Law & order
Building codes
Jobs for quake victims
IN warning the international community that the extraordinary challenge facing Pakistan called for an extraordinary response from the world community, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had put the situation in starkly clear perspective. It appeared on conclusion of the recent Geneva conference that not more than 20 per cent of the flash UN appeal for $550 million for rescue and relief had been pledged till then. As for funds for rehabilitation and reconstruction, the prime minister was quoted as stating on Nov 1 that approximately two billion dollars had been pledged. It appears, however, that some of these commitments relate to concessional loans, not grants.
Domestic mobilization of funds is not included in this figure of two billion dollars which is, however, a far cry from the estimated cost of reconstruction variously estimated at between five and 10 billion dollars.
In deciding on the extent of their response donor states and international agencies would, understandably, need to be clear about the extent of the disaster and the degree to which the people and the government of Pakistan have borne (and are prepared to bear in future) the administrative task and financial cost of the tragedy. As for the scale of the disaster and its looming consequences, these are being daily emphasized by UN relief organizations themselves.
With regard to the response of the people of Pakistan, the upsurge of compassion, relief participation and financial contribution have testified to the humanity, the patriotism and the dynamism of the Pakistanis.
Although the government, which is struggling manfully with the task, has been criticized by certain quarters for its alleged failures, it is doubtful whether any of the political elements now attacking the government would have relished the opportunity of being in the government’s shoes when the disaster struck with its tragic and incalculable magnitude.
In grappling with the challenge of rehabilitating millions of uprooted people, the stakes are high not only for the state of Pakistan but also, to an important extent, for the outside world. Noted intellectual Arthur Kennedy has said in the Foreign Affairs Quarterly that Pakistan is one of seven pivotal states in the sense that significant developments impacting Pakistan are liable to affect the wider region and the world beyond. It follows, therefore, that while relief and reconstruction remains the foremost priority of the Pakistan government, stepped-up assistance in this regard would be needed from the outside world if Pakistan is to be in a position to devote the required resources for maintaining its ongoing agenda for the economic and social uplift of its 160 million people.
This is a crucial question not only for Pakistan but also for the outside world in the light of Pakistan’s crucial geo-political significance, its location in proximity to the Gulf, Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia, the genuine interest of the mass of its people (as well as the government) in combating extremism of every kind, Pakistan’s active and moderate role in the Muslim world and the part it is playing in the war against terror.
Pakistan’s ability to pursue its programme of economic and social development and to alleviate poverty and unemployment, side by side with undertaking the gigantic task of rehabilitation and reconstruction, would be a vital factor in determining the geo-political and geo-economic contours of this crucial region. These factors would, hopefully, be given due weight by donor states and international organizations in considering the need for additional assistance, in spite of the element of donor fatigue.
MAHDI MASUD
Karachi
RECENTLY NGOs have been attacked for blemishing Pakistan’s image internationally by highlighting the issue of violence against women. Higher state authorities have repeatedly assured the availability of justice and spoken of the efficiency of the courts, while discouraging women who want to go abroad to seek justice. But the awful tragedy that has befallen a Vehari woman is contrary to all these statements made by the authorities about the availability of justice, efficiency of law and gender sensitization of society of Pakistan.
On October 25, Naseem Mai, a resident of Jallah Jeem, district Vehari, a mother of eight children, lost her leg when her husband Sadiq Bhatti brutally cut it off as he suspected her fealty. On the day of the incident, he tied Naseem Mai to a pillar in his house and attacked her with a sharp axe as many people gathered outside on hearing the women’s scream. But they didn’t come to her rescue or try to stop Bhatti from committing this shameful act.
He kept waving his wife’s leg after chopping it off and waited for the police to arrive. They came after two hours when it was too late to save the poor woman’s leg.
The tragedy didn’t end there. Following this heartbreaking incident, nobody came to take Naseem Mai’s case before a court of law. No FIR could be registered unless Naseem herself forwarded the application. She is now in Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, and the case has been referred to an anti-terrorism court.
One can well ask if this is the “efficient judicial system” the government boasts about. Society does not respect women. Those going outside their homes, taking jobs or pursuing cases in courts are considered to be of ‘loose’ character. They are abused, tortured, burned and even killed. This is not the time to ignore such incidents.
We must actively respond to such incidents and should not limit ourselves to becoming mere onlookers. The state should also play a positive role by improving the efficiency of the justice system.
ZEESHAN CHRISTOPHER
Via email
THE army has a very effective legal system and law evaders within it ranks are promptly punished without discrimination. That is the reason why one man controls different segments at every level and the men work diligently till the completion of the task.
The offenders are punished according to law but the reasons for the offence are investigated and eradicated to avoid recurrence.
That is the reason why the army in spite of being a public sector department is still keeping itself on the road and is the only trusted force available to fight natural disasters and provide relief to the people.
As very rightly pointed out by Mr Javed Ashraf Qazi, the army works only in aid of civil power and by itself is not mandated to take up relief operations. However, very ironically, it has been seen that during all the calamities, civil power is never visible. The multimillionaire patwaris and thanedars, who are the most powerful rulers in peace times, vanish in times of crises.
The local government, canal, forest, development authorities and all other departments, which are so heavily staffed and have heavy machinery, take cover behind the army.
If analyzed closely, we shall discover that the largest loss of human lives is to be attributed to the buildings which were constructed by the contractors under the supervision of civil works departments. In Rawalpindi, there are many old and multistoreyed buildings and none of them was damaged except Margalla Towers. Why? Because it was constructed in violation of the building plans under the watchful eyes of the CDA. Now the DG of the same department is making queer remarks about the building and the remaining blocks.
As usual the police have registered an FIR without nominating any person. The FIR will remain closed in the files till sentiments die down and will then be forgotten. Nobody will pay for the enormous loss of lives and the miseries suffered by the inmates.
Please, Mr President, let not history repeat itself. Please be kind to the people of Pakistan. Take a break and put the culprits on the mat and to end nepotism, corruption and technical crimes committed at the behest of the government machinery.
I understand that many big shots could be involved in the scam but, Sir, no big shot is bigger than human life. You must act to pre-empt future losses.
FARRUKH EHTESHAM AZMI
Lahore Cantt
FOR a long time Clifton beach has been the most popular recreation spot for Karachiites and those coming from upcountry. This beach, in continuation with Bagh Ibne Qasim, has been lying undeveloped for decades. It is the only sizeable Karachi beach left over by the land mafia. (It is learnt that Bagh Ibn-i-Qasim was 150 acres and is now down to only 80 acres.)
Recently I was taken aback to notice that one won’t be able to have a view of the sea any more while driving on the double road running parallel to the bank of the sea as two parallel fencing walls have been raised in between. The town planners (KDA) of the good old days had very wisely taken a policy decision that no such structures would be allowed in the area between “Hawa Bandar” (helipad area) and the sea that may impede a clear view of the sea. The city government is now defying its own rules.
The strip of land alongside the coast at Clifton was reserved by KDA planners as elbow room for free and easy movement of crowds and for provision of sitting, relaxing and camping facilities. By constructing walls around these belts, the very purpose of this space has been defeated and thereby adversely affected the beauty and utility of the beach.
As regards Bagh Ibne Qasim, a fence of the same design is being constructed around it also. Here the purpose of having a boundary wall is different. It should provide security and check trespass. The design and height do not cater for either of these requirements. Proper maintenance of the park, therefore, will be difficult.
UMER FAROOQUE KHAN
Karachi
THIS refers to Mr Naeem Ahmad Khan’s letter (Nov 1) about choosing the right dam. He could not find any technical objections to the Katzarah dam except to deny the facts on record. He should know that the resettlement issue does not render the 35-maf Katzarah dam infeasible.
Resettlement is an administrative issue and can be easily handled. Mr Naeem Khan may know that it is extremely advantageous that the annual flow (27 maf) at Katzarah is less than its 35 maf storage capacity. This gives excellent capacity inflow ratio to store super floods and have a long life and better service value.
All the best dams in the world have many times more storage capacity than their annual flow. Therefore, a large annual flow (90 maf) and meagre storage capacity (6.1 maf) at Kalabagh is its great drawback. This is because Kalabagh will draw silt from a colossal catchment area of 110,500 square miles with huge inflow and get rapidly silted up within about 20 years.
The Katzarah dam on the contrary will receive almost silt-free water from snow melting. The most amazing quality of the Katzarah dam will be that it will act as a perfect watershed management dam by preventing soil erosion in the Skardu valley by submerging it.
Study and research has shown that the Skardu valley has one of the world’s most erodible soils and is the main source of silt in the Indus water that causes rapid silting of the downstream reservoirs. If Katzarah is built first, it will prolong the life of the subsequent dam at Basha from its estimated life of 80 years to about 800 years.
Kalabagh is lying on a geological fault line on a very weak foundation. The KBD consultants have clearly indicated this fact in volumes II and XIII of the KBD feasibility report. They have warned that a concrete structure more than 160 feet is not feasible at the Kalabagh dam site due to a weak foundation. The 35-maf Katzarah dam will be 400 kms away from the epicentre.
Mr Naeem Khan is wrong once again when he says that Kalabagh will mitigate floods as it has a very poor CI ratio. Moreover, the Kalabagh dam will be on run-of-river from June 1 to July 20 during the high flood period. Mr Khan should know that the right bank canal outlet from the Kalabagh dam was dropped as it was not considered economically feasible.
Moreover, the Right Bank Canal for D.I. Khan cannot irrigate lands by gravity flow as the lower lands have already been irrigated by the CRBC. Also, the Kalabagh dam is economically infeasible if its resettlement cost and the cost land compensation are calculated at the present market price that has increased by more than 100 times. As the Kalabagh dam is basically a replacement project, it will not irrigate even one acre of land.
The height of Katzarah and its storage capacity can be fixed according to choice and need. Moreover, it is on record that the Indus River System Authority rejected the KBD under the Irsa Act on Oct 22, 1996 with a 4:1 majority.
As to the construction of the Katzarah/Skardu dam, China offered to build it free.
FATEH ULLAH KHAN
Ex-chairman, Irsa,
Peshawar
THIS refers to Dr M. Yaqoob Bhatti’s letter “Which dam site?” (Oct 31).
Dr Bhatti writes: “...the recent earthquake has shown that the Bhasha dam is a risky venture as the site is located right on the fault line while the Kalabagh site is located about 140kms away from it.”
I will refer him to Dawn’s front-page report of the same date which refers to Mr A.N.G. Abbasi, chairman of the Technical Committee on Water Resources (TCWR), as warning the government that it would be criminal to ignore Wapda consultants’ report indicating the ‘Kalabagh fault line’ while taking a decision on the construction of large dams.
The Wapda consultants in volume-3 (Geological Facts) of their 1983 report had identified ‘Kalabagh fault and salt diaprism’, raising risks about the construction of the Kalabagh dam.”
On Oct 29 at a seminar held at PIIA, Karachi, the former director-general of the Geological Survey of Pakistan, Mr Hamza Ali Kazmi, disclosed that the site of the controversial Kalabagh dam was in the earthquake zone.
Mr Naeem Ahmed Khan (letter, Nov 1) states that the “Kalabagh dam would not only supply water to the existing system but also bring new area under irrigation”.
It is unfortunate that people like Mr Ahmed neglect the fact that due to non-release of the Indus water downstream Kotri barrage, sea intrusion has ruined 2.5 million acres of agricultural land in two districts of Sindh whereas the government’s mantra is that 35 MAF water is being wasted into the sea.
These are wrong figures because the so-called water released into the sea includes the unwanted waters of India and Afghanistan. It is an undeniable fact that nowhere in the world are dams built on the basis of water that is the property of another country.
If dams do not consume water, as the government says, then why should Pakistan oppose the proposed Baglihar dam in Indian Kashmir which is a carryover dam meant to generate electricity for Kashmiris?
It is very sad that those who advocate the construction of the Kalabagh dam never take the trouble to write a single line about checking the sea intrusion in Sindh.
IMRAN KHAN SIAL
Karachi
IT is very commendable on the part of the government of Pakistan to launch the child protection bureau.
Thousands of children who lost their parents and hundreds who have been deprived of their arms, legs or have broken backs need immediate attention.
The foremost priority is to protect them from anti-social elements which could further ruin their lives.
There should be no rush for adoption, until the prospective parents are thoroughly evaluated.
The adoption procedure in New York takes about nine months — the time taken for a full term pregnancy.
The first step is to conduct a home study: the constitution of the family group, the income, the level of education, medical report (to rule out any contagious diseases), police report, actual space where the child will sleep and two letters of recommendation.
A separate department of adoptions should be created under the child protection bureau.
It should be staffed with qualified social workers, preferably, having a master’s degree in social work.
There are 70,000 children in New York under the care of Administration for Children Services, where I worked for 22 years until I opted for retirement at the age of 73.
The children are brought in because of parental death, desertion, divorce, child abuse or court ordered removal from the family.
The children are cared in foster homes or group homes. There are no orphanages.
AHSAN U. KHAN
New York
IT is very alarming to know that the unfortunate victims of the Oct 8 earthquake, especially women and children, are being kidnapped or physically abused by some people.
The government should try to maintain law and order in the quake-affected areas and protect the honour and security of the victims.
DR ZAINAB RIZVI
Lahore
IN earthquake-prone areas educational institutions, hospitals, public-sector buildings, bridges, etc, are designed to withstand seismic shocks much more than other structures. Unfortunately, it appears that on Oct 8 those were the first to collapse in Azad Kashmir, Balakot and Mansehra.
According to one TV report, in only two Muzaffrabad schools (one each for boys and girls) nearly 2,000 children perished. Just imagine the total number of such casualties in the entire earthquake-affected.
I do not wish to Detract from the rescue activity which in itself is a herculean task but while things are fresh in minds, work should also be started on the following:
1. The government should institute a commission to review and revise the building code for different regions of the country within in the next six months, keeping in view the seismic activity in that area. We do not need to invent the wheel. The basic assumptions and outlines can be obtained from other countries. The enforcement of this code will be the crux of the matter, so it will have to be strictly applied.
2. The Quaid-i-Azam University and/or Peshawar University should create a department of seismology which, in addition to teaching, should be given grants to carry out research on seismic activity in the country and in particular in the northern areas. The work should be undertaken in conjunction with the Geological Survey of Pakistan (please do not tell me this is already being done, if so what have they got to show?). The nation cannot progress on borrowed technology forever. We have to learn to stand on our own feet.
H. MASOOD SOHAIL
Karachi
I appeal to the government to consider fixing a certain quota in jobs (domestic and foreign) for the quake victims.
Overseas employment promoters (recruiting agents) as well as the Overseas Employment Corporation can play a vital role by convincing foreign employers to recruit the earthquake victims and the OEP and OEC may provide free recruitment service for them.
AMARNATH MOTUMAL
Karachi
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