ON Aug 15, Tharparkar’s deputy commissioner penned a letter to the Board of Revenue, requesting that the district be declared ‘drought-hit’. The desert region had received insufficient and erratic rainfall, and hospitals were filling up with the dead, dying and diseased. Residents worried they would once again be witness to the all-too-familiar scenes of starvation experienced periodically. On Aug 20, the Sindh cabinet, in its first meeting after the general elections in July, declared the region to be drought-hit, and promised to send aid and relief packages. That was over a month ago. But then what? Wells have dried up. Groundwater (where available) is contaminated with fluoride and arsenic. Crops and livestock have perished. Waterborne diseases, viral infections, and malnutrition have led to the death of nearly 450 infants this year alone. All this begs the question: where is the Sindh government? Where is the PPP that has always projected itself as ‘the party of the poor’, with its slogan of ‘roti, kapra aur makaan’?

The drought and water shortages are not ‘sudden’ or ‘unexpected’ events. PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had requested his government to ‘stay alert’ in the likelihood of the natural disaster. The drought in Thar may be a natural occurrence, but it requires human intervention; ie long-term and short-term solutions. How the PPP responds to the crisis will determine its public perception in the coming years. However, its past record leaves much to be desired. The Rann Minor has not had water for many years: over 50,000 acres of fertile land lie barren, forcing inhabitants to migrate to other areas. Private firms responsible for setting up RO plants complain of lack of payment from the government. The Sindh government must act fast to save face and countless lives. ‘Corruption’ is a word (and accusation) thrown around sloppily, but often difficult to prove. Inefficiency and incompetence, on the other hand, can be observed by anyone.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2018