IT all seems too little, too late for Balochistan, where the people have this summer paid a steep price for state neglect and apathy while a merciless monsoon continued to rob them of life and what little property they ever had.

The numbers paint a telling picture of human misery: as of Monday afternoon, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority put the death toll at 136, with 70 more injured since June 1. The authority further said that 13,535 houses had been damaged in the province during this period, out of which 10,129 were partially damaged and 3,406 completely destroyed.

Key bridges and other communication infrastructure have been swept away by floods, with several major roads linking Quetta to Sindh cut off for several days.

To take stock of the devastating floods still wreaking havoc in Balochistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has now made two high-profile visits to the province within three days.

With large entourages of ministers and administrative officials in tow, the prime minister has displayed all the bluster that had once symbolised his past tenures as chief minister of Punjab. He has promised monetary compensation for the loss of life and homes, as well as all possible help from both the province and the centre in rebuilding what has been destroyed. He has railed against and condemned the reported non-provision of sufficient food and water to the families forced to live in shelters, and issued angry warnings to officers from the local administration over inadequate arrangements for healthcare.

Read: Rains bring more misery to Balochistan, KP

The concern and the anguish would be heartening, if not for the bitter reality.

There has been little real accountability for the fact that the province has been suffering for two months now, and the losses it has faced over that period have not been sudden, but incremental over eight or so weeks.

If the prime minister really wants to know why there isn’t enough food, water or medicine in relief camps after two months of continuous devastation, it is most likely because the provincial government and administration both either failed to heed repeated warnings of the impending disaster or chose to ignore them. The callous disregard for the suffering of the people in either case is quite apparent.

Once Mr Sharif is done looking busy, he may perhaps ask Balochistan Chief Minister Quddus Bizenjo, who was by his side on Monday, why he allowed things to get so out of hand.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2022