Environment and Disaster Management
Panel 1 Disaster Management in the South Asian Context: Impact, Lessons and Institutional Dynamics
Disaster Management Policies for Kirthar range rivers of Sindh and Balochistan
Sanaullah Rustamani*
The rivers flowing from the mountainous range of Kirthar cause heavy losses to the people of Sindh and Balochistan whenever there are heavy rains. In order to save life and property of the people of Larkana Dadu and Sehwan Sharif, the Sindh Government constructed the Flood Protection (FP) Bund of more than 500 km in 1933 from Sukkur to Qubo Saeed Khan to Manchhar Lake. This aimed at diverting the flow of water from the villages and towns of Sindh to the Manchhar Lake. The Gaj diversion wall, in Kachho area of Johi tehsil, was also constructed for the same purpose.
However, due to authorities’ failure to devise proper disaster management plans, many breaches continue to occur in the Flood Protection Bund. In 1976, 30 while in 1995, 34 breaches occurred at FP Bund. During these years, breaches in FP Bund occurred at different places near Johi, about 20-30 kms way from Dadu city. Resultantly, many villages and towns of Dadu were inundated. Indus highway from Dadu to Johi came under water and traffic remained suspended days. Recently, the situation was also critical and the heavy flow of water caused breaches at the FP Bund near Qubo Saeed Khan, district Qambar Shadadkot and caused heavy losses at Jhal Magsi, Balochistan and Shadadkot and Dadu districts of Sindh. According to official figures published in newspapers, 1226 villages of Qubo Saeed Khan, Larkana; while in district Dadu, 63 villages of Mehar Tehsil, 56 villages of Khairpur Nathan Shah tehsil and 41 villages of tehsil Johi were affected by the flood. More than one hundred thousand people in both districts were rendered homeless. Heavy losses to the livestock and the standing cotton, rice and other crops also occurred.
Using secondary data sources, newspapers and on-site field interviews, this paper will analyze the flood situation in Sindh and Balochistan from 1976 onwards to see what the Government and NGOs have so far done to mitigate the miseries of the flood affected people. The socio economic and environmental impacts of the floods over the affected areas, including the Manchar Lake, which is believed to be one of the largest sweet water lakes of Asia, will also be evaluated. Most importantly, the paper will focus on what needs to be done to achieve sustainable development by taking effective measures to control the natural disaster.
The paper will discuss appropriate utilization of technical expertise; allocation and timely release of funds and the effective steps to disperse the heavy flow of water via different channels in order to control the losses.
Sources of data included in the abstract:
- Daily Dawn, Karachi, 23 July 1995
- Daily Dawn, Karachi, 25 July1995
- Rajput, Idris (2007), “How to control floods of Khirthar mountains?” Daily Kawish Hyderabad, 17 July 2007
- Daily Kawish, Hyderabad, 18 July 2007
- Daily Kawish Hyderabad, 31 July 2007
- Daily Kawish Hyderabad, 23 July 1995
- Daily Koshish Hyderabad, 8 July 2007
- Daily The News Karachi, 22 July 1995
- Daily The News Karachi, 23 July 1995
- Daily The News Karachi, 25 July 1995
* Sanaullah Rustamani, a civil society activist and columnist, is a Lecturer of English, Sindh Education Department. He is also a Research Fellow doing his M.Phil leading to PhD from the International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Mitigating Natural Disasters: State and Civil Society Collaboration in Promoting Awareness and Communication
by Shreekant Gupta* and Marriyum Aurangzeb**
The use of information for promoting awareness and communication in disaster mitigation has not been adequately studied or understood, especially in developing countries. This paper documents and critically reviews this aspect and proposes innovative approaches in this regard with a view to mitigating natural disasters. In particular, we review Chain’s campaign to predict earthquakes and its implications for developing countries, especially those in South Asia. Different approaches to promote awareness and communication focusing on state and civil society partnerships are emphasized.
* Dr. Shreekant Gupta is a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the University of Singapore, Singapore.
** Marriyum Aurangzeb is the Coordinator of the National Awareness Raising and Communication Pakistan Wetlands Program, Islamabad.
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