Monsoon Misery for Millions of South Asians

A staggering 16 million people - as much as the entire population of the Netherlands - have now been affected by flooding caused by heavy and sustained monsoon rains falling across South Asia. The floods are causing massive displacement of populations across Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal - bringing widespread destruction to homes, livelihoods and agricultural cropland.

According to the government in Pakistan - déjà-vu from last year, when the worst floods in living memory wreaked havoc throughout the country - 

five million people have been directly affected by floods which have struck areas across most of the country. During the last month intense rainfall caused flooding in 20 out of 23 districts in the southern district of Sindh alone, while areas of Eastern Baluchistan and Punjab Provinces have also been badly hit. Close to a million homes have been damaged or destroyed and the current disaster has left thousands without food and shelter. Over 140,000 displaced people are now living in temporary relief camps and the numbers are rising.

                

“We cannot fail these communities”, says Senator Nilofer Bhaktiar, chairwoman of the Pakistan Red Crescent, “For the past year we have struggled to help thousands to recover from the 2010 floods. Just as their crops were ready to harvest, the floods have come again and literally taken the food from their mouths”.  

More rain to come in India

Heavy rains have also deluged many States throughout India, causing severe flooding which has resulted in large-scale population displacement in the north-eastern state of Assam and the northern states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh as well as in Punjab and West Bengal. Entire communities remain marooned in some areas as flood waters have made it almost impossible for search and rescue teams to reach them.

Current government figures estimate that over 300 people have been killed and 8.6 million people have been affected across five States since the start of monsoon season. 

“The numbers of people affected have doubled in just a few weeks and there is more rain to come”,

says John Roche, country representative for the International Red Cross in India. “Thousands have lost homes and livelihoods leaving many wage-earners with no choice but to migrate to nearby towns to find work“.

The monsoon has also caused havoc downstream in Bangladesh rains where several major rivers have burst their banks. The floods engulfed vast areas spanning the length and breadth of the country, causing misery for over 1.5 million people. 

Nepal too has suffered this year. This year’s monsoon rains triggered several flash floods affecting more than 2,600 families and claiming 90 lives, with 40 people reported missing.  

/PC

Pakistan one year on - what has been learned?

As Pakistan commemorates one year since the horrendous super-floods, chairperson of the Pakistani Red Crescent, Ms. Nilofar Bakhtiar, outlines what she believes are the critical steps needed to protect vulnerable populations against future risk.

It has been one year since monsoon rains triggered landslides and flooding, the likes of which Pakistan has not experienced in 80 years. In its wake, hundreds of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, millions of acres of valuable farmland were left water-logged, and infrastructure such as roads and bridges were swept away. One fifth of the country was submerged, and a staggering 20 million people were affected (photo of Pakistani Red Crescent Chairperson, Nilofar Bakhtiar, left, compliments of AP).

With the next monsoon season on our doorstep, it is vital that collectively, we take the necessary steps to ensure people do not experience such suffering again in Pakistan, or anywhere else in the world when the next disaster hits.

We at the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) are taking this to heart as we assist survivors of last year’s monstrous floods in their recovery. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) and disaster preparedness programming are the common factors that bind our projects together. But we cannot do this alone. It is incumbent on all sectors of society to embrace these life saving initiatives; to make DRR and disaster preparedness part of the law of the land.

Our efforts must stem from the needs of the people. We are helping flood survivors identify challenges they currently face, and those they will encounter in the event of another disaster. We are organizing village committees and teaching them how to develop village preparedness plans. We will help these village committees register with the government to ensure they are linked in with early warning systems.

The monsoon floods in Pakistan took six weeks to travel the length of the country, yet Sindh province in the south was still the worst affected. If villagers had been warned about the oncoming flood waters, injuries, deaths and damage to personal property would have been far less. 

We are encouraging people to rebuild their houses on higher ground, and are training workers on the use of more construction methods.

But for this to work, those at the grass roots level must get on board and embrace the power they have to make a positive change in their own lives. They need to take ownership of such disaster preparedness programmes, and in the process, become more self-reliant. It is then – and only then – that we will be able to build stronger, more resilient communities.

Complex disasters are nothing new to Pakistan. We have endured massive earthquakes, floods, cyclones, and drought. In 2007, flash flooding triggered by cyclone Yemyin affected 1.5 million people. An earthquake in October 2005 left more than three million people homeless. Five years prior, a ten month drought affected 1.2 million people in Balochistan. And perhaps the deadliest of all, a cyclone in 1970 that killed 500,000 people. If history is any indicator of the future, Pakistan will fall victim to more large scale disasters. To not learn from them and improve responses in the future is inviting disaster.

Pakistan is learning from the disasters it has faced over the decades. In 2010, a National Disaster Management Act was adopted by Parliament, under which the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was formed. Similar bodies have also been created at the provincial, state and district levels. In 2007, the government of Pakistan joined 139 other governments in endorsing international guidelines that set out regulations and policies related to the provision of international relief during a disaster. We are currently working with NDMA to establish suitable guidelines for Pakistan. (Photo right Usman Ghani / IFRC)

Hundreds have been trained on disaster risk management, and plans to make villages more resilient to disaster are being developed. However, although institutional commitment has been achieved, the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) states that achievements are neither comprehensive nor substantial and that many stumbling blocks remain to making any real progress.

The government, as an institution, needs to change its mindset from one that puts an emphasis on emergency response to one that makes disaster risk reduction an integral component of any sustainable development initiatives. Provincial governments, which are responsible for providing funds at the district level, have yet to make any substantial budgetary provisions in this regard. As a result, very little in the way of disaster risk reduction is taking place at the local level.

Natural disasters are indiscriminate and can strike any country. This is not likely to change as the impact of global warming grows stronger, the intensity of natural disasters increases, and more people are left living in precarious situations. No government or international organization is solely capable of responding to disasters of the magnitude we experienced last year. We need to support each other. To make that happen, the Pakistan government needs to put in place a transparent mechanism that facilitates international support and speeds our response to emergency situations.

We need to give communities the tools they need to rebuild their homes, their livelihoods and recover their dignity. We can no longer live in a world where disasters are forgotten, and with them thousands of people.

It is time for us all to take a stand and vow to do what we can. Villagers: participate in disaster preparedness initiatives, learn how to better prepare yourselves. Aid organizations: implement community-based disaster preparedness activities as part of your core programming. Private sector: stage discussion groups and disaster drills to ensure your employees know what to do when disaster strikes. Governments: enact disaster relief laws that clearly define roles and responsibilities of all players during a disaster, develop early warning systems and fund disaster prepared initiatives at the state/provincial and municipal levels.

We need to act, and we need to do it now.

originally published for ifrc.org

Pakistan: When floods recede, toughest challenges begin

The Pakistan 'superflood' has continued to be the primary focus of our combined aid efforts over the last weeks. Haiti has for now taken a back seat and other massive 'disasters' such as Niger - where famine looms and more than seven million are 'food insecure' - struggle to get the needed attention and funds.

The devastation in Pakistan has been one of the worst natural disasters witnessed in recent times in terms of the numbers of people affected and the massive swathes of territory that are completely destroyed and cut-off. But that is not nearly the whole story.

The impact has not only been about loss of life and entire communities being uprooted. Arguably more significant, livelihoods, properties, income sources, assets, animals, machinery and food stocks of millions of people (many of whom were already living hand-to-mouth) has been washed away and swallowed by the mountains of mud.

Throw into the mix the volatile political situation in-country and on Pakistan's borders and we have a cocktail for potential civil unrest and destabilization. Security concerns for the population and aid workers are growing and, in terms of media interest, these aspects of the disaster are now receiving more attention it seems than the actual human suffering - 'not getting aid through' is a much better story after all than 'getting aid through'.

I embed here for you a photo slide show we but together with our friends at Reuters in an effort to raise awareness (and funds - more than 50'000 hits so far). We will need to produce more of this type of product in order to dispell any misperceptions out there that when the floods recede the disaster is over - the opposite of course is the truth, the real problems are only starting.



A final word of recognition for the Pakistan Red Crescent - they are doing an incredible job and are leading the international effort of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement on the ground (for our latest update, if interested, check this). Years of dealing with large scale disasters and conflict-related population displacements has provided them with great experience and capacities. They will continue to receive our international solidarity, support and reinforcements as they strive to cope with the consequences in the years ahead.

/PC

Afghanistan and the lessons of history

I would never have thought that reflecting about my time in Afghanistan, and my fascination with a 19th century painting from the Anglo-Afghan war, would lead me to Tipperary and Meath.

Last week's suicide bombing and armed raids on a guest house frequented by UN staff in Kabul got me thinking, not for the first time, of this interminable part of the world. The UN bombing had been preceded a few days before hand by a suicide attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul that left at least 17 dead and dozens severely injured. Then, a few days after the UN bomb we had massive explosions in the crowded alleys of Peshawar's sprawling street markets that left more than a hundred civilians dead.

I remember back in 1999 when I had my Afghanistan time, the country - apart from a territory in the north - was presided over by the Taliban and an assembly of war lords. At that time there was no alcohol allowed, no women in the workforce (or anywhere else except mostly indoors), no television, no music - no fun basically. It was a tough time on many levels not least the psychological one. You have no idea how dreadfully depressing it can be to work with some twelve hundred colleagues all of whom are male with an average age of about 50! I longed for female company and I longed also for a cold beer at the end of the day.

Given the lack of social outlet and the very real security threats life was confined to work and (heavily gaurded) home - a good time to catch up on my reading and experiment with some herbal teas. At that time I became fascinated with the historical writings on what is know as the Great Game - the great rivalry between the British and Russian empires that lasted the best part of one hundred intriguing years ending in 1921 with a friendship treaty between the two great foes. The prize for the Great Game was the Indian sub-continent which Britain declared the jewel in its crown and feared mightily that Russia would conquer Afghanistan and use it as a launching pad to snatch India.

So, not for the first or last time in her long and illustrious history, the nation of Afghanistan found itself at odds - through no real fault of its own - with major military powers. A victim of its own geography. But, not being one to turn down a decent offer of a good fight, Afghanistan embraced the Great Game and played both sides off against each other, much like they did with Persia during the same period and of course the Americans and the Soviets in the 1980's.

Never conquered. Never Divided.
History will show that the whole of Afghanistan has never, not once, been controlled from the centre. And, while (in western eyes) treachery and deceipt are a frequent feature of their methods of warfare (rendering the Geneva Conventions culturally biased?) Afghanistan has incredibly remained solidly intact, never fragmenting along ethnic or religious lines and maintaining its borders since its inception. It clings fiercely to the origin of its name which is Sanskrit for "land of the allied tribes".

But, I digress. I did not intend a historical account, even a brief one. But it is necessary for the remainder of my tale. During those turbulent days back in 1999 we did manage to escape on rest and recreation every few months to Peshawar where the first destination was the long-established American Club - a place with cold beer, conversation with women and late night darts. At the entrance of this modest but grand old building, just before you climbed the stairs to the bar, hung a gilt-framed oil painting which always stopped me in my tracks and urged me to ponder awhile. It was an original copy of "Remnants of an Army" depicting a lone soldier, Scotsman Dr. William Brydon, at the gates of Jalalabad, which lie approximately half way along the 200 mile road between Kabul and Peshawar.

Brydon was reportedly the sole survivor of a sixteen thousand five hundred strong retreating British army that fled Kabul in 1842 - all but Brydon were mercilessly massacred with horrific efficiency by Afghan forces lying in wait (depicted above). The same Afghan forces, it should be mentioned, with whom they had been allied just a few days before - things can change very quickly in Afghanistan.

This effectively brought to an end the First Anglo Afghan War (1839 - 1842) and one of the lessons learned (for evaluation it seems was also a practice back then - makes you wonder if it is really possible to learn from our mistakes) was a telling and succinct recommendation whose relevance today is obvious: The First Afghan War provided the clear lesson to the British authorities that while it may be relatively straightforward to invade Afghanistan it is wholly impracticable to occupy the country or attempt to impose a government not welcomed by the inhabitants. The only result will be failure and great expense in treasure and lives.


From Tipperary to Afghanistan and back
Now, that painting (shown at the top of this post), as mentioned, fairly captivated me at the time especially as I was so enamored with Peter Hopkirk's writings of the Great Game that repeatedly recalled the resilience of the Afghans throughout their long and combative history. Staring at the forlorn figure of Brydon, the lone horseman, one didn't know whether to feel pity or pride. His form embodied defeat, set against an unforgiving and alien landscape; and such were the incredible odds against his survival that you were forced to wonder whether the Afghans let him loose on purpose - a barely living testimony to their military might.

The painting was the work of an artist called Lady Elizabeth Butler. When writing this post I could not remember her name so scoured the internet until I found it - and I found out a few other aspects which struck me as interesting. Elizabeth was born in Lausanne (Switzerland) but married an Irish soldier, writer and adventurer called William Francis Butler. William hailed from the impoverished famine fields of Tipperary and had risen to great heights in the British army. The couple returned to Ireland upon William's retirement and lived in Bansha Castle before moving eventually to the east coast of Ireland, settling down in Gormanstown Castle where they stayed till their final days and are buried at nearby Stamullen Graveyard.

Year's after my own Afghan adventure I tracked down some of Elizabeth's paintings at the Imperial War Museum in London, and I was not disappointed. I have heard that the painting of Brydon - the last remnant of a decimated army - now hangs at the Tate but will have to confirm that at a later date. It may be coincidence that a painting which had such a hold over me ten years ago somehow turned out to have strong Irish connections. Whatever the case, I'll be making my way to Stamullen cemetery the next chance I get to track down the last resting place of this incredible couple and pay them my respects.

/PC

Children pay the price in Pakistan

The fighting in Pakistan’s north-west region has displaced between 2.5 million and 3.5 million people. Which amounts to one of the largest population movements in recent history. While more than 235,000 people are in camps, the remainder are living in the homes of relatives and friends away from the areas of violence – and nearly half of these are children who are among those most vulnerable to congested living conditions and poor sanitation facilities.

Support networks for those displaced are near their breaking point, with families facing huge challenges such as food shortages, health problems, and lack of clean water. Host families are struggling to maintain those who are staying with them.

Jahangir Khan, 15, fled his home with his mother and five younger brothers and sisters. His father stayed behind to protect their house in southeast Swat.

“The road was blocked due to the fighting, so we had to take a mountain trail to escape safely,” Jahangir recalled. “We walked for two days before we could get a van to reach my uncle’s house, where we stayed for a few days, but we had to leave because of overcrowding.”

Jahangir now lives in a cave with his family and is being supported by his uncle Taj Maluk.

The support being provided to Jahangir’s family is placing financial strain on his uncle, who is hosting ten other families at his home. He only earns the equivalent 50 dollars (CHF 54.33) a month as a farm worker, an amount that barely supports his own family of 10.

“It’s becoming more and more difficult for me to support these people. I have already sold a cow to get cash”, said 40-year-old Taj.

Jahangir now worries about his father. “It has been ten days since I saw my father,” he said, “I don’t know whether he is okay or not.”

Muhammad Zubair, 13, has not been as lucky as Jahangir. He and his family are living in an abandoned poultry farm that was cleaned and made available by villagers in Ichrian village in Mansehra district east of Swat, in an area free of fighting. (Photo right: Muhammad Zubair and his friends sit outside their living place in village Ichrian of Mansehra.)

Zubair, a student of Quran in a local Madrassah in Mingora, the capital of Swat, had to suspend his studies and move to a safer place along with his family when the fighting escalated.

“I miss my home and my friends. I don’t like living here. My friends and I used to play cricket and other sports. Life was fun,” Zubair said.

It is cold in this poultry farm at night, and sometimes the stench of dead chickens in the area from neighbouring poultry farms is overpowering.

There are around 500 people living at this facility and locals are doing their best to support them. But much more needs to be done to help these families live in a more hygienic environment that provides even the most basic comforts.

“Children are living in extremely unhealthy conditions. Most of them do not even have soap to wash” said Doctor Umar Riaz, a member of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

Doctor Umar added that the ongoing fighting and the subsequent uprooting of children from their homes have resulted in significant psychological trauma. “They need to engage in sports and other social activities to cope with the situation,” he said.

For the PRCS, the health and welfare of these children is among the top priorities of the appeal for emergency funding that was launched in June to provide humanitarian relief for internally displaced people in Pakistan. These funds are urgently needed but have as yet met with a very poor response. It seems we have our work cut out for us if we are to convince donors and general public that the needs in Pakistan are pressing and present.

This post is based on an article written by my colleague Mubashir Fida in Pakistan which first appeared ifrc.org -- Mubashir also took the photos accompanying this post.

/PC

The Shame of Swat

One of the biggest exoduses of modern times is under way in Pakistan. Two and a half million people have been displaced - a dozen times the populaiton of Geneva, and yet we hear relativley little about their plight in this "little Switzerland". That might be changing, with major humanitarian organisations finally mobilising. 

The International Committee of the Red Cross yesterday gained access to Swat valley for the first time since hostilities began. Their team reported hospitals lacking the barest necessities - we're talking without water or electricity -  in an area where people are most likely receiving horrific injures, and suffering from food shortages and waterborne diseases. 

Nothing is getting in, not even the spoken word, as phone lines are down. Mingora has obviously been a scene of carnage. The footage coming out evokes Mogadishu, and the "theatre" must be as dangerous for the aid workers going in as it was in Somalia back in the early 90s. To them, chapeau, and sincerest wishes for their continued safety. 

HDEO doesn't want to get into the game of saying "when X happened in Y country" but it's terribly tempting to point out that people seem to be more worthwhile of our media's attention and outrage if they happen to live within an ass's roar of London, New York or Paris, or when markets, superpowers and resources are at stake. To say nothing of the prisms of colour and culture through which "victims" are screened. 

The mainstream press would do well to dig a little deeper into what is going on in the high mountains of South Central Asia, and their proprietors would do well to let journalists tell us more. The new "Great Game" is afoot, with some new and hungry players appearing. 

But you don't need to think global crisis to be moved by the current drama. In purely human terms this is as poignant a quote as any I have seen, from a father of nine called Abdulla, one of thousands of Abdulla's on the move: 

"I was afraid that my children would get killed. But I can tell you that when we were walking along the road and we arrived in Mardan district, all the inhabitants from Mardan were looking at us. I felt so ashamed that we had abandoned our land." 

That's a reaction you wouldn't expect, would you? A feeling of shame. But it comes up again and again. I've heard it from people who lost their farms to Chernobyl' s radiation, from fishermen who lost their islands to the 2004 tsunami. Shame. They feel shame that they left their homes, their animals, their books, their children's toys, their past and their future. 

We in our armchairs expect them to feel relief. They got away didn't they? Or gratitude. Look, the "international community" is providing them with relief. (After sales service, it has been called, but that's for another post). But no, they feel shame. THEY feel shame. Surely that's one emotion they can be spared right now. There's many others, much more powerful, who should be feeling it, but of course, never will. 

One ray of hope. On CNN last night a Pakistani student group, interviewed by webcam, talking about how they were bringing aid to the displaced. They put the emphasis on education, on reestablishing schools rather than letting extreme elements gain control in the huge camps that are springing up. 

Of course, food and shelter are essential. But so is some food for the mind, and HDEO supports these local thinkers, who are thinking far further ahead than the rest of us.

/JL