“The water came and we watched as it swept through the fields. We were rescued and taken to safety but I feel bad about leaving my chickens behind,” says Nasira.

A resident of a village close to Narowal, she says her immediate concern was her family and her poultry stock that contributed to the family income.

“I doubt any of my hens would be alive. Two of my buffaloes are already dead. I sold ‘desi’ eggs and the chicks along with butter and desi ghee,” her voice breaking up over the phone.

“This flood has shattered my hopes. My house would be needing repairs and I have no clue if our belongings are still inside.”

Nasira was lucky to have made it safety in time, unlike the 209 people who lost their lives in various rain and flood related accidents including drowning and electrocution.

Her buffaloes, however, added to the 4,793 cattle figure that perished in the calamity according to the data shared by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Unlike the 2010 floods, in which 2,000 people were killed and over 20 million marooned, this years floods are said to be comparatively ‘milder’.

Disaster Prone

Pakistan has had its fair share of natural calamities since its creation. It was a natural disaster that cost the country East Pakistan.

On the fateful day of November 11, 1970, Cyclone Bhola swept through Bangladesh (East Pakistan back then) and the Western Bengal portion of India.

Such was the devastation of the tropical cyclone with the innocent sounding name, that some 500,000 people lost their lives in a single day.

Meanwhile, the government remained unmoved by the plight of the people.

Back then, there was no twitter or Facebook and it was only Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television Network that presented bulletins, news filtered in slowly.

It was few days before the scathing critique of the international media, including photo-essays by LIFE magazine, and the nationalists’ leaders that got the sarkaar to move.

By the time aid arrived, mile after mile, lying out in the open were decaying corpses. Mourning the dead, those left alive were in no better state.

Bhola not only swept through East Pakistan, it also laid bare the growing schism between East and West Pakistan, the sarkaar and the junta. A year down the road, Bhola lead to Bangladesh.

Fast forward to the 7.6 magnitude 2005 Kashmir earthquake, what was also called Pakistan’s first televised disaster, showed how badly a third world country like Pakistan has to struggle to save lives.

The 2005 disaster was the first since satellite channels and cable TV made their way into the homes of millions. Initially what were ‘only a few deaths’, according to the state run media, turned out to be ‘75,000 deaths’ in a matter of hours.

With the countrymen watching the natural calamity’s aftermath, it was a news package on Aaj TV that sprung the nation into helping their brethren.

A woman, badly injured in the quake and with no help, was shown on air. It was Pakistans first brush with reality TV.

As she breathed her last, the anguish on the faces of her family members moved something. In an unprecedented move, long before the Rs400 billion international aid could arrive, Pakistanis got up to help the affected persons.

The next disaster came in the shape of 2010 floods, which saw millions of Pakistanis spending months out in the open.

The Flood Inquiry Commission constituted by the Supreme Court held rampant corruption in the Irrigation Departments of Balochistan and Sindh responsible for slow response to widespread damages.

Besides, poor and ill maintained infrastructure and illegal encroachments along the banks of the rivers encouraged by the mafias present within government department were also blamed.

Minimizing Losses

The subsequent floods in 2011 and 2012 were not as severe but highlighted the need for better disaster management and post disaster recovery efforts.

Chairman NDMA Major General Mohammad Saeed Aleem says that early planning helped in keeping the number of casualties low.

“We started the ground work in March and the Met department was very forthcoming in issuing warning about rains and floods and the areas it was likely to hit. The rain this year has been substantial. Only in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, it was 1100 mm,” he said.

He says disasters cannot be averted but timely preparation and safety measures do cut down on the number of deaths and losses.

“Many deaths this year could have been prevented. For instance take the case of the freak accident that led to the death of a young couple and their son in Karachi.

“They remained in the car while the road was flooded and a sudden surge in water swept the car towards an open drain,” he said, calling it an unfortunate incident.

“Since 2005, Pakistan has come a long way and there has been a paradigm shift. We now have the NDMA and the provincial disaster management authorities and other related departments are also being established,” says Nusrat Nusab, executive officer of Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS), an affiliate of the Aga Khan Development Network.

“Back in 2010, no one realized how big the floods would be. We had carried out relief operations in the 2005 earthquake and it was a learning experience. Over the years, we have made an active effort to train community members so that they can act as first responder in case of an emergency,” she says. FOCUS is the only organization (public or private) that has fully trained female rescuers.

Giving the example of the Hunza landslide and the floods in Chitral, she says, “A lot of these communities are conservative and cultural norms often push women aside when it comes to relief and rescue. By having women rescuers, we are better able to reach out.”

“It will take time but Pakistan is moving towards the integration of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) into development and that is a positive development,” she added.

Nusbat says that communities must be ‘empowered’ and that will require a lot of effort on the part of the government and the aid sector.

Both Saeed and Nusbat stressed that the media needs to engage in rescue and relief activities too.

“Media needs to create awareness. NDMA or the relief providers do not have the budgets to buy ads on TV channels and newspapers. PTV and Radio Pakistan have been very forthcoming and have aired warning and relevant messages in time. However, major channels have always refused to air these messages. This apathetic, money minded attitude needs to change,” says Major Gen Saeed.

What Next?

The big question that the disaster victims face is how to carry on with their lives.

This year, 40,702 homes were partially damaged while 18,997 units were completely destroyed mostly in Sindh and Punjab.

The 2010 flood victims were paid cash grants to rebuild their houses. However, allegation of corruption and the money not reaching to deserving people have always been rife.

“I lost my house in the 2010 floods and so did my sons. Given that my name was there on the CNIC as the head of family, only I was given the cash grant through the Watan card. The meager cash grant was not enough to rebuild the four housing units. We could barely build a room with that money,” says Murad from Khairpur Nathan Shah.

In the 2010 floods, the entire constituency of K N Shah was declared disaster hit. Intentional breaches to save the lands of influentials’, including a then MPA, MNA and a minister, were blamed for the misery caused to the 0.3 million people.

To date, the residents there are trying to rebuild their homes while dreading another breach that would destroy whatever little they have.

“After every disaster the government tries to give out some incentives to the victims but the transparency of these efforts remains questionable. If the government doles out 20,000 rupees, what is the victim supposed to do? Cover his present needs or get building material? Rather than doling out cash, the government and the private sector need to focus on schemes that allow for better and stronger housing.

Look at the example of Muzafarabad. The planning after the 2005 quake has seen a major shift. That example needs to be followed. Take the example of Sri Lanka, Indonesia and even Bangladesh, who are equally disaster prone but have made active efforts to minimise losses,” a former consultant of the Earthquake Reconstruction & Rehabilitation Authority says.

It is often said about Pakistanis that they never learn from their mistakes and the aftermath of Bhola is proof enough.

Each and every time a natural calamity strikes, we call it the wrath of God. If there is less damage we say ‘God was kind’. Strongly following the adage ‘let sleeping dogs lie’, we always move forward, usually towards another disaster.