THE chairman, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Islamabad, has recently issued forewarning to all provinces for disastrous rains and floods starting from July to September 2012.

According to the NDMA report the coming monsoon starting from July would bring more rain than the country had experienced during the last two consecutive catastrophic years, i.e. 2010 and 2011.

The NDMA, while issuing specific warning to Sindh provincial authorities to get ready and face more devastating rains and super floods in the Indus, has showed disappointment over the provincial government’s desensitisation towards repair of dykes and canal banks, as well as towards settlement of displaced persons. The authority was also under shock on massive corruption reported in the distribution of relief goods.

I agree with the NDMA that the Sindh government has still not plugged the lacuna in the system so much so that most of river and canal dykes damaged by the floods and rains are still in a bad shape.

Besides, despite passage of two years the government has failed to redesign and widen the Khairpur-Larkana Bridge as recommended by Chinese experts. The narrow span of this bridge was the main cause in unduly holding water between Gudu and Sukkur Barrage which inundated half of Sindh and almost the entire rice growing area.

I am surprised at apathy of the provincial government that has not yet decided as to where the excess water, which will again be trapped between Gudu and Sukkur Barrage, due to short span of Khairpur-Larkana Bridge, would be discharged.

Will the government, like 2010, save the lands of influential on the left side of the Indus and blast the dykes and allow the water to once again flow and submerge the whole rice-growing area and displace millions of people?

I request the provincial government to come out of complacency and self-delusion and save Sindh, the present dispensation’s bastion of power, from total ruination.

I request the authorities concerned to ensure that the entire machinery of the government is diverted and utilised to ‘disaster management’ so that the damage of impending rains and floods, if not contained, could at least be minimised as blaming nature would not do them any good.

Although the time left to meet the extremely difficult challenge is hardly three months, yet by coming into full action immediately would at least minimise the damage.

MUHAMMAD ARIF RIAR Tando Ghulam Ali