Monday, August 16, 2010
After Effects
Faisal Jalil, coordinator at PEAD Foundation spoke to one of our peer educators Noor ul Islam from District Charsadda on the after effects of the cruel floods the hit recently. He describes that the situation has now gone more worse as the affectees are now confronted with water borne diseases. Children are suffering from diarrhea and other stomach diseases due to drinking contaminated water. On the other hand acute food scarcity is adding further problems to 36 families taking shelter in one of the high School in Tangi, district Charsadda.
Now We Have No Shelter or Food
Manzar Ali, student from GHS Noshehra Kalan
I was asleep when flood struck our village.
It was midnight and I heard voices outside. I went out and everyone was running to save their lives.
Thank God my family is saved but now we have no shelter or food.
The water level rose to ten feet and our homes were completely destroyed. We have lost all our belongings, including clothes, utensils, everything.
I was asleep when flood struck our village.
It was midnight and I heard voices outside. I went out and everyone was running to save their lives.
Thank God my family is saved but now we have no shelter or food.
The water level rose to ten feet and our homes were completely destroyed. We have lost all our belongings, including clothes, utensils, everything.
Friday, August 13, 2010
"Cruel Floods"
Sajjad Mubarak, Govt Higher Secondary School, Sherpao, Charsada
The recent floods and heavy rains have been the most devastating in the history of Pakistan. More than 2,000 people have died, millions have been made homeless and billions of dollars worth of property has been washed away. The Charsada district of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province, where I live, was among the first to be exposed to the floods as it is situated closer to the Kabul river.
Many areas of our homeland have been at the mercy of the cruel flood’s waves in the past few days, when rather than coming as a blessing, the monsoon rains created great trouble for the people of our country. The flood waves claimed lives and injured thousands; millions are living under the open sky. Mothers have lost their little kids; brothers are searching for sisters and many others look for their loved ones in the flood waters flowing through their villages.
Charsada and many of its villages fell prey to flood waters. Villages including Tangi, Manda, Habib Garhi and Dildar Gharhi are among the worst affected, as well as Mian Sahab Gharhi, Kote, Umarzai, Charsada City, Utmanzai and Turangzai. Devastation in these areas is severe as homes have been completely washed away. Many people are living in relief camps, where the affected families have no option other than to live under the open sky in very miserable conditions. The death toll of children is the highest of all because of their vulnerability; most of those who died did so due to the unavailability of food and water.
The floods are almost over now, but have left behind a sad history, written with tears. It is not only property but humanity itself which has experienced terrible times during the calamity. Many girls in the affected areas have reportedly committed suicide to save themselves from attack by beast-like human beings. Since people were unable to look after their properties, criminals took the opportunity to steal as many valuables as they could.
In such a miserable situation, the federal and provincial governments are making promises, but doing very little practically. People feel hopeless and say that this has been a golden opportunity for our politicians to increase their own wealth as much as they can in the name of the relief and rehabilitation of affected citizens. People firmly believe that only two per cent of the aid will reach the deserving and the rest will go into the pockets of politicians and the administration.
The furious victims of the flood say that our president Asif Ali Zardari showed his true commitment and dedication towards the country by flying to London in the middle of the crisis. There, as well as political meetings, he was reunited with his sons Bilawal and Bakhtawar – but, ask the victims, what about the hundreds of thousands of Bilawals and Bakhtawars he left behind here, helpless and in trouble?
The people hit by the floods are also not satisfied with the role of the media in covering this huge disaster. The main focus of the media during the early days was an air crash in Islamabad that claimed 152 lives, but they turned a blind eye towards the millions of people crying for help in flood-affected areas.
The flood is over now, but it has left a history for us to learn from.
The recent floods and heavy rains have been the most devastating in the history of Pakistan. More than 2,000 people have died, millions have been made homeless and billions of dollars worth of property has been washed away. The Charsada district of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province, where I live, was among the first to be exposed to the floods as it is situated closer to the Kabul river.
Many areas of our homeland have been at the mercy of the cruel flood’s waves in the past few days, when rather than coming as a blessing, the monsoon rains created great trouble for the people of our country. The flood waves claimed lives and injured thousands; millions are living under the open sky. Mothers have lost their little kids; brothers are searching for sisters and many others look for their loved ones in the flood waters flowing through their villages.
Charsada and many of its villages fell prey to flood waters. Villages including Tangi, Manda, Habib Garhi and Dildar Gharhi are among the worst affected, as well as Mian Sahab Gharhi, Kote, Umarzai, Charsada City, Utmanzai and Turangzai. Devastation in these areas is severe as homes have been completely washed away. Many people are living in relief camps, where the affected families have no option other than to live under the open sky in very miserable conditions. The death toll of children is the highest of all because of their vulnerability; most of those who died did so due to the unavailability of food and water.
The floods are almost over now, but have left behind a sad history, written with tears. It is not only property but humanity itself which has experienced terrible times during the calamity. Many girls in the affected areas have reportedly committed suicide to save themselves from attack by beast-like human beings. Since people were unable to look after their properties, criminals took the opportunity to steal as many valuables as they could.
In such a miserable situation, the federal and provincial governments are making promises, but doing very little practically. People feel hopeless and say that this has been a golden opportunity for our politicians to increase their own wealth as much as they can in the name of the relief and rehabilitation of affected citizens. People firmly believe that only two per cent of the aid will reach the deserving and the rest will go into the pockets of politicians and the administration.
The furious victims of the flood say that our president Asif Ali Zardari showed his true commitment and dedication towards the country by flying to London in the middle of the crisis. There, as well as political meetings, he was reunited with his sons Bilawal and Bakhtawar – but, ask the victims, what about the hundreds of thousands of Bilawals and Bakhtawars he left behind here, helpless and in trouble?
The people hit by the floods are also not satisfied with the role of the media in covering this huge disaster. The main focus of the media during the early days was an air crash in Islamabad that claimed 152 lives, but they turned a blind eye towards the millions of people crying for help in flood-affected areas.
The flood is over now, but it has left a history for us to learn from.
Booni Glacier Bursts
Rowshan Banu, Govt Girls High School Booni
At midnight on Wednesday, July 28, 2010, the residents of the village of Booni close to the local glacier heard a huge explosion and became alarmed.
They knew that the centuries-old glacier, about 80 kilometres north of Chitral, had burst and the whole village was under thrust. Within minutes of the blast, a mud flow from the glacier started moving towards the village, which has a population of 15,000 people.
Residents of the most vulnerable area in the village, who first heard the explosion, started evacuating their homes and also informed people downstream to leave the area as soon as possible.
After July 28, flood water started to recede and people from the village started to return to their homes, working on irrigation channels for their crops.
But again on Monday, August 10, 2010 at 10 pm the glacier burst once more and this time the residents had no other option but to head for nearby villages. Humanitarian assistance in the form of tents was provided to the displaced but this proved to be inadequate.
It is the peak season for the harvesting of the wheat crop, which may have been damaged altogether. The Booni residents are in a deep state of depression because of the devastation caused by the glacier. I saw damage to houses, bridges, water mills and cultivated land.
Some villagers again returned to their homes. I personally visited the households that were affected and conducted a number of interviews.
One resident Amir Wali said that he would not leave his home despite the damage caused by the flooding. “I will die inside my home,” he said, adding that he had sent his family to live with relatives.
Others, however, are abandoning their homes but people with vehicles are demanding high prices to transport their belongings due to fuel shortages. Lack of food is also a concern. Both problems are the result of the area being cut off from the rest of the region.
At midnight on Wednesday, July 28, 2010, the residents of the village of Booni close to the local glacier heard a huge explosion and became alarmed.
They knew that the centuries-old glacier, about 80 kilometres north of Chitral, had burst and the whole village was under thrust. Within minutes of the blast, a mud flow from the glacier started moving towards the village, which has a population of 15,000 people.
Residents of the most vulnerable area in the village, who first heard the explosion, started evacuating their homes and also informed people downstream to leave the area as soon as possible.
After July 28, flood water started to recede and people from the village started to return to their homes, working on irrigation channels for their crops.
But again on Monday, August 10, 2010 at 10 pm the glacier burst once more and this time the residents had no other option but to head for nearby villages. Humanitarian assistance in the form of tents was provided to the displaced but this proved to be inadequate.
It is the peak season for the harvesting of the wheat crop, which may have been damaged altogether. The Booni residents are in a deep state of depression because of the devastation caused by the glacier. I saw damage to houses, bridges, water mills and cultivated land.
Some villagers again returned to their homes. I personally visited the households that were affected and conducted a number of interviews.
One resident Amir Wali said that he would not leave his home despite the damage caused by the flooding. “I will die inside my home,” he said, adding that he had sent his family to live with relatives.
Others, however, are abandoning their homes but people with vehicles are demanding high prices to transport their belongings due to fuel shortages. Lack of food is also a concern. Both problems are the result of the area being cut off from the rest of the region.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Authorities “Sleep” as Floods Take Their Toll
Nisar Ali and Dauad Ahmad, Prang Ghar Mohmand Agency
The drizzling began in the early morning of July 28, 2010. By the afternoon, the rain had started, and then came the thunderstorm and the hail. It took only a few minutes for the rivers to fill up with rain water.
Many villages have been destroyed by the floods to the point where it now seems as if no villages had ever been in the area. The continuous rain means that daily life is no longer possible.
Livestock need food and grass, but many of the animals have drowned because there was nobody to help them escape the flood water. About 65 villages have been submerged and demolished by the flood. Some people have been stranded in the middle of the flood as if living on an island and they need food, shelter, clothes and comfort.
Many children became orphans. Many mothers became widows. Many elderly persons were left helpless because none of their carers remained to look after them. But the government in our province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, KPK, was busy sleeping.
The administration was not able to concentrate on rescuing the people affected. They have no modern equipment or techniques, no helicopters or proper boats. They have no military forces available. If they had enough army troops, boats and skilled rescuers our lives would not have been destroyed. The government of KPK should have a system to warn of flooding and a programme to evacuate those affected.
The drizzling began in the early morning of July 28, 2010. By the afternoon, the rain had started, and then came the thunderstorm and the hail. It took only a few minutes for the rivers to fill up with rain water.
Many villages have been destroyed by the floods to the point where it now seems as if no villages had ever been in the area. The continuous rain means that daily life is no longer possible.
Livestock need food and grass, but many of the animals have drowned because there was nobody to help them escape the flood water. About 65 villages have been submerged and demolished by the flood. Some people have been stranded in the middle of the flood as if living on an island and they need food, shelter, clothes and comfort.
Many children became orphans. Many mothers became widows. Many elderly persons were left helpless because none of their carers remained to look after them. But the government in our province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, KPK, was busy sleeping.
The administration was not able to concentrate on rescuing the people affected. They have no modern equipment or techniques, no helicopters or proper boats. They have no military forces available. If they had enough army troops, boats and skilled rescuers our lives would not have been destroyed. The government of KPK should have a system to warn of flooding and a programme to evacuate those affected.
Friday, August 6, 2010
"Hell on Earth"
Sajjad Mubarak
Fawad Haider, programme manager at PEAD spoke to one of our peer educators Sajjad Mubarak to get his feedback on the flood effected areas. Sajjad describes the situation as hell on earth. People are eventually beginning to loose hope. Sajjad and his friends have decided to do their part in helping his people. They have formed a small group under the banner of PEAD and IWPR and are collecting money from who ever they can to help the flood victims. They have taken this initiative themselves and feel that it is not only their responsibility but it is their duty to help those in need.
Fawad Haider, programme manager at PEAD spoke to one of our peer educators Sajjad Mubarak to get his feedback on the flood effected areas. Sajjad describes the situation as hell on earth. People are eventually beginning to loose hope. Sajjad and his friends have decided to do their part in helping his people. They have formed a small group under the banner of PEAD and IWPR and are collecting money from who ever they can to help the flood victims. They have taken this initiative themselves and feel that it is not only their responsibility but it is their duty to help those in need.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Shabqadar Tehsil
The floods have caused massive destruction in the Shabqadar Tehsil.
Some of the villages like Beila, Beargarhi, Sadagarhi have been completely wiped out. Hundereds of people have become homeless and have lost many loved ones. The irrigation system has been completely destroyed. Two of the main canals (upper Swat & lower Swat) have been heavily damaged and the crop fields are also completely lost. Many people have lost their live stock; one of my relatives in the neighboring village has lost 13 of his cows.
Three of the main bridges connected Shabqadar to Swat and Charsadda have been heavily damaged; Munda bridge and Serkh bridge have been completely wiped out and Khyali bridge has been severely damaged.
There is no provision of any form of aid from the government as yet. There is severe shortage of food, drinking water, medicines and shelter. Rescue efforts from the government are also very poor. The people are doing what ever possible on a self help basis. The villages which are located higher up on the mountains have been spared from the floods and have taken many people in from surrounding villages and are providing them with food and shelter.
Al-Khidmat Foundation has been very active in the Shabqadar area; they distributed medicines worth Rs 70,000 today and are also helping people to find shelter and food. Teachers and other community members are also very active in doing relief work. A meeting was organized for the teachers and the heads of schools in one of the private schools. The teachers have been assigned different areas where they will be carrying out their relief activities.
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