Post disaster scenario

RDs Times
By: Shamsuddin Muhammad

Natural calamities are not new to the people of Giligit-Baltistan; most of whom have had suffered a lot due to either criminal negligence of those on helms of power, lack of disaster prevention measures or overlooking of the phenomenon where that certain strata of population took with ease.The recent horrible land slide tragedy that slid down a major portion of Attaabad and Sarat villages and turned settlements into rubble with in few moments. The massive land slide calamity claimed many precious lives, most of them of Sarat , a more safer village than Attaabad recommended by FOCUS, leaving trapped under rubble, many critically injured. Besides human loss, property damage was unimaginable that reminded us the havoc of high magnitude earth quack of October, 2005 in Azad Jamu and Kashmir. Keeping the geographical features of the region in general and the slide affected area in particular where seismic or volcanic activity is active,geological experts of Survey of Pakistan and FOCUS in their respective reports warned the population of expected danger declaring the area red zone and suggested to leave at their earliest. Some of the dwellers with sound economic status managed to leave their home town while rest failed to do as it seemed hard to cut off the organic links with a land where they grew up. Unfortunately, neither public representatives nor civil administration and not any NGO voiced over the issue to make in time arragments of rehabilitation and the voice of masses failed to fell on deaf years of the authorities to avaid such a tragedy. Much more has been said and written on the disaster and meaningless to revisit the details of panic observed on site. Government, NGOs, regional civil administrations, intelligentsia, civil society members, electronic and print media and finally last not least bloggers playing remarkable role to highlight issues and kept viewers updated every moment.
Government managed to arrange helicopter service with the support of Disaster Management Authority under the directions of federal government to shift commuters stranded at Aliabad and Gulmit due pto prolong blockade of Hunza river and Karakorum High Way, the only land route access of Gojal, upper Hunza and central. Government officials claimed that process of rehabilitation of affectees was in final stage and expected to be materialized with in a month which is a good sign in the attitude of bureaucracy with feudal mindset. Sufficient relief goods have been contributed by philanthropist individuals, organizations and government and categorically available in case of emergency. The relief package for Inter Displaced People (IDPs) is effectively organized under the supervision of Deputy and Assistant Commissioner and was renewable on Febraury 17 for a specific period that contains daily essentials and edible items. There are some reports of resentment shown by IDPs over delay in rehabilitation process that emerged due to exaggerated claims of slide hit affectees on their possessions especially that of Sarat village. Helicopters continued to supply essentials on Wednesday in compliance with the pledges of Chief Minister to provide all possible support to all affectees of land slide. Besides re-opening of Pak-Chinese border to facilitate population of Shishkat, Ayeenabad, Gulmit and other cut off far flung valleys of Gojal,upper Hunza government officials are planning to extend boat service to Gulmit for the main bridge that link Shishkat and Gulmit on Hunza River is about
to sink in blocked water.
According to available data, majority of Ayeenabad including twelve houses and lowere areas of Shishkat settlement have been submerged completely. Rising water level on naturally formed lake rose to 170 feet and stretched to about fifteen kilometers long leaving 10 houses submerged in Shishkat village and rest at low altitude have been evacuated. On the other hand, both political and civil administration of Gilgit Baltistan is doing according to its capacity. Officials and workers of Frontier Works Organization (FWO) and Northern Areas Power and Works Department (PWD) are delivering their best to make breach in gigantic debris surrounded by sheered mountain rocks with anxiety in red zone as the area has had volcanic activity that created visible cracks in rocks. According to an PWD engineer, there is no chance of sudden outburst of lake water for the stony debris is stretched at fifty degree against the prolong blocked water on river. The engineer further says that it will take at least three months to make a breach to release water systematically. Chief Minister Mehdi Shah accompanied with Wazir Baig Speaker of house and other officials has vowed to extend every possible support to the affectees in the critical times saying such disasters are test of endurance of nations adding the disaster has had direct impact on Gilgit Baltistan region too. The presence of public representatives serves to appease feeling of deprivation among the masses emerged following suspension of chopper services due to bad climatic conditions.
Regional government has managed the issue effectively by ensuring boat service as an alternative. We through this medium would like to urge both the political and civil administration to keep in touch with the affectees to address their genuine needs by eliminating communication gulf that emerge at a sudden unexpectedly. We would also request political parties, members of civil society and intelligentsia to come forward and keep their difference aside to join hands in hand to bring the affectees out of troubles. We hope, the nation will be able to come out of menace with better strategy and planning.





The writer is editor of Voice of Hunza, Readers Times, S.R.Times and GB Echo. He can be contacted at: jaashams@gmail.com