NATURAL calamities and disasters occur in every country but responsible governments take precautionary measures to minimise the losses. It is sad to see the loss of over 1300 lives in a week due to a heat wave in Sindh and its capital, Karachi. The media showed heart wrenching images of victims being carried to hospitals by people in order to save their lives.

There is no denying the fact that the heat wave kills hundreds of people all over the world every year. The point to consider is the utter negligence and failure of the Sindh government to take timely measures to reduce the citizens’ suffering.

One is reminded of the famine in Tharparkar a few months ago in which more than 100 children died of starvation owing to the Food Department’s failure to provide grain that was allowed to rot in its store houses.

Syed Zakir Ali

Jamshoro

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2015

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