ARTICLE (August 28 2010): The floods in Pakistan are described to be of “Biblical proportions”. The same rivers that provided a lifeline to its people over the centuries have now submerged a fifth of Pakistan’s landmass and made 20 million homeless. Along with the daily dose of newspaper stories and television footages showing images of destruction, destitution, hunger and disease are tales of governmental apathy and mismanagement.
While it would be easy to sensationalise such a situation, it can be said that the magnitude of the tragedy is beyond the scope of any single government. The Katrina tragedy in New Orleans showed that even the most powerful government on earth proved ill equipped to handle the situation. This does not of course excuse a perceived lack of timely action. Nor should it cast a shadow on the heroic work of the military and some local governments.
Perhaps the most effective in the delivery of relief at the grass roots level is Pakistan’s civil society.
Click here to read more: Business Recorder [Pakistan’s First Financial Daily].
Ismailimail 