THE people of Badin, a district in Sindh that provides the country vast amounts of resources in the form of oil and gas, have been left to fend for themselves in the wake of heavy rains and canal breaches. As was the case last year across large sections of the country, the government appears to be conspicuous by its absence and the residents of Badin are having to make do as best as they can against heavy odds. Officials in positions of authority in all provinces need to realise that preventive measures could at least lessen the impact of the fury of nature. True, heavy monsoon rains will hit Pakistan almost every year but that does not mean that hundreds of thousands of people, and sometimes millions, should routinely be reduced to penury as a matter of course. Then there is the cruel fact that the immediate disaster is only part of the problem. People who lose everything in any given monsoon will struggle desperately to make ends meet for many more months to come. Their needs, be it ruined homes and lost cattle or seed stocks, must be met and it is here that the authorities which themselves live lavishly for the most part must come to the fore.

Oxfam, the international aid agency, has urged the government to improvise and implement an effective disaster reduction regime to provide relief to the most vulnerable and save the economy from collapse. This should not be fresh news for those who run and control our affairs. Actions taken before the event can help save lives, protect livelihoods and prevent an increase in poverty. This is not asking for the impossible. It can be done given the right amount of empathy and a genuine desire to do the right thing.