IT is late morning and under a cloudless sky and scorching sun, the mighty Sindhu darya gleams as it flows lazily by the Tori Bund. This is a far cry from the scenes of havoc that have been witnessed in Punjab over the last few days, caused by the flooding of the Chenab River.

However, those living along the banks of the Indus here in Sindh, especially in the katcha area, have bitter memories of 2010’s ‘super flood’ and are watching the river closely for signs of trouble. They are also sceptical of the government and question whether the administration is ready to step in should disaster strike.

Know more: No lessons learnt in flood-hit Pakistan

Numerous settlements were flooded in 2010 and the area around the Tori Bund, which was breached (whether deliberately or not depends on who you ask), bore the brunt of the devastation. Some of the villagers from Jam Suharo, who survived the ‘super flood’ and shared their memories with me, use the term qayamat-i-sughra [almost as bad as the doomsday] for the event. “We were trapped in our houses and at night we could hear the mighty onrush of the water,” one local resident observes. “It was terrifying.”

We meet the residents of Jam Suharo in a smart new schoolhouse, reportedly built with Turkish help. Outside, graffiti in support of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl is sprawled on the wall, while inside the well-built classrooms youngsters recite the day’s lesson.

Firdous Chachar, a village elder, shows me an SMS sent by the Sindh Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) asking locals to leave for relief camps. “They have only sent us text messages,” he complains. “No one from the government has visited us to inform us of what measures to take in case the flood comes.”

Other residents add their own litany of grievances. They say the government has started to strengthen the embankments, but they are not satisfied with the quality of work. Indeed, while driving to the village, labourers were seen busily shoring up the bund’s defences with sand being transported to the site in rickety tractor-trolleys. “The foundations are still weak,” observes Mohammad Bachchal, the school’s headmaster.

The villagers all feel that the Tori Bund was breached “deliberately” in 2010, and had this not been done their settlement would have been saved from inundation. “We have documentary evidence that the bund was deliberately breached,” they say. “We have deposed before the authorities, we have sworn on the Quran. Yet nothing happened. No officials were removed.”

They also question the existence of the camps referred to by the PDMA. “Where are the camps? We haven’t seen them. We have heard the administration has received tons of wheat for flood relief. We have not received any,” complains a younger man in the crowd. The people of the katcha zone are also critical of private relief efforts, along with the state. “During the 2010 floods the real victims didn’t get anything. The underlings of waderas [landlords] did benefit, though. The elected representatives distributed aid on a partial basis,” they allege.

Local residents also mention the change in the timing of the floodwaters’ arrival, indicating possible effects of climate change. “The people of the katcha could tell when a flood was coming. The heat would get oppressive and there would hardly be any breeze. The wind changed direction. The peak was in August but now the water is coming in September,” says Mr Firdous.

In Goth Jatoi Chachar, a village a little distance from Jam Suharo, there is similar scepticism about the state’s level of preparedness. “We are not satisfied with the preparations,” says Arz Mohammad Chachar, the local headman. “The work [to strengthen the bund] started late even though we had advance warning of the approaching floodwaters. I have not seen any relief camps.” However, unlike residents of the last village, Mr Chachar believes the Tori Bund breach of 2010 was not deliberate, observing that it was caused due to “carelessness”.

Residents of the area say the waters of the Indus have been advancing steadily over the past few days. Though the locals are not panicking just yet, they are waiting for the state to clearly fill them in about evacuation plans. “If the state makes proper preparations, we will come [to relief camps]. If not, Allah will help us,” says Mr Firdous.

While the Sindh government says camps are ready in case the Indus does flood, a number of journalists I talked to in Kandhkot, Kashmore’s main town, as well as Sukkur, said they too were unaware of the existence of any relief camps for displaced villagers. Several attempts to reach officials in the Kashmore district administration were unsuccessful.

Between the local residents’ intense scepticism and the government’s confidence, the next few days will tell whether the Indus bursts its banks, or if the great river will take the coming floodwaters in its stride.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2014