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By Sabeena Jalal and Shahzad Ali Khan
Disaster Mitigation: A way forwards onto the path of rehabilitation , could perhaps be made around the following model. Biggest emergency on the planet declared by UNICEF - The 2010 floods along the banks of River Indus. Can the country and its people be the same? About 3 weeks post floods :20 million displaced…. “The loss of life, disease, poverty, and human misery themselves are going to take years to overcome. But the costs of desilting, cleaning up, and reconstructing Pakistan's most fertile and potent highways, canals, and waterworks will be exhausting just to calculate. The actual task of building back this critical infrastructure is a challenge of unprecedented proportions.” Foreign Policy august 21,2010. Since mostly the farmers have been affected by the flood – their land, crops and cattle destroyed; both their assets and income generators for Pakistani villagers along the Indus River are no more. Twenty million people are now struggling to find a dry place to sleep, a morsel of food to eat, a sip of clean water to drink -- and the questions we are asking, have to do with politics and international security- and reliability or the lack of it in dealing with funds. Immediate Requirement: FUNDS: donations as money is desperately needed to buy food, medicines , shelter, transportation and supplies and hire local people to assist. Having finances mean they can buy whatever is needed. Coordination between humanitarian relief organizations is important to ensure effective delivery of services and efficient use of scarce resources as emphasized by UN. We have to see whom the people of Pakistan trust most- which governing body in the country is least corrupt: (a) Pakistan Army (b) EDHI ( may not have the time to take up this responsibility as they are working endlessly- man power may be an issue.). In Pakistan army corruption is marginalized. Hence, funds would be most reliably collected and handled by the army. A flood relief account should be set up in the National Bank with branches all over the country. In this case , the national Bank can serve as the Central Bank- State Bank. This would add transparency and accountability.
Reasons for making Army the central coordinating body for collection and utility of funds: 1) Corruption is marginalized 2) Most man power to deal with this colossal calamity 3) Helicopters , boats , planes – all logistic support 4) Hence, money can move faster on ground to reach the afflicted. 5) Currently , funds are threatened by “choors and decoits” - Army can give security to the goods collected. 6) Trained to deal with various terrains 7) Army has a department Signal Corps- this department can help in communication in areas which are too far flung and difficult to reach. This would enable a very effective communication. 8) Army has service corps , engineering batalion ( which can help with reconstruction of roads and bridges) and Military police to check any mishappenings.
Body within army: Would constitute of brigadiers and majors: people with good reputation should be made incharge. Role of NGOs: NGO’s get their funds from foreign agencies. They can work parallel with the Army and Edhi. However coordination is required- they all need to work as partners and share their information. Media: The media giants can set up coordination cells. Coordination cell would have 24 hours coverage by three shifts of operators and a log would be maintained either district wise or for every 10 km radius. Where Army , Edhi and NGOs and hospital - medical camps: all share the information of provision of relief goods and Aid is shared. So that duplication of effort is minimal and maximum population is covered and no one is left out. Media controlled website: A website need to be continuously and vigilantly updated, that would show the utilization of funds and supply of resources and disease outbreaks, nutrition and malnutrition and also the need for the basic items: like clothes, medicines, vaccination, food. And every NGO or philanthropic individual/group efforts , should get an ID number and password to access it and upload their information on the ONE common website. Hospitals holding medical camps should also upload their information about the services provided in various flood affected areas and services still needed. GIS mapping can be used as a tool. Develop a Volunteer Cell: During and after disaster what is deperately needed is equipment, supplies and expertise in disaster situations. They require skills , qualitfications and long term commitment, not just good intentions, there should be a sence of urgency and short term availibility. Volunteer with an orgnization or government ideally, so that the efforts do not become sporadic but are rather coordinated. Boy scout and girl scout, community health workers and Medical University students .... could be very effective.
How to long term rehabilitate: So besides immediate needs , i.e, rescue, tents , food , medicines , what shall we give the flood victims? Money in cash? Not a good idea as they might spend it without having tangibles remaining with them. NGOs already working to supply family packages of food and medicines. Medicines can be bought from pharmacies at subsidized rates by the NGOs or philanthropists and distributed thorugh medical camps. If we are to prioritize for long term rehab between : Food, Clothes- by giving them cash packages; and Shelter: SHELTER is what army should aim at providing them- not temporary one, like in schools or mosques- Army should help build one to two room houses and allocate them based on the family size. Mostly displaced people are farmers: so with the funds donated for the flood victims, buy them animals, fertilizer and seed- depending on how much money is available after shelter provision. This will help the flood victims get settled back into normal life. We have to keep in mind how this huge bulk of population of survive in the long term? It is a matter of addressing urgent needs, immediate needs , short term and long term needs. All this translates into national security.
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Beat Disability-By Embracing It
Equity and Inclusivity
Sabeena Jalal
"To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beautyto its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never, to forget."- Arundhati Roy
We are also on the face book : "Beat Disability"
