The monsoon season is almost here, and with it comes the worry of flash floods, urban flooding, and the ensuing destruction. The topic of preparedness, or rather lack thereof, comes up every time the Met Office publishes a warning of “above normal rains” or “vigorous monsoon activity.” Specifically, the question is: How well can Pakistan’s disaster management authorities and municipal organizations deal and give relief to the impacted communities? Unfortunately, we have not done enough to address the growing frequency of extreme weather occurrences occurring in our nation. To reduce the loss of life and property, successive governments have promised to improve disaster management capabilities and modernize urban infrastructure. However, not much has really been done, and every year, more and more public and private infrastructure is destroyed along with life. It is not as though the government does not have the resources or strategies necessary to guarantee readiness for disasters. The issue is that these preparations have been poorly carried out, and money has been used carelessly both before and during the monsoon season.
In anticipation of intense monsoon activity in the country’s upper and central regions during the upcoming week, the national and provincial disaster management authorities have also “activated” their emergency operations this year. The municipal organizations have been instructed to make sure they are prepared to handle any potential emergencies. How will this year differ from the previous ones? Few people think so. In fact, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent owing to global warming, catastrophe prevention efforts cannot keep up with the increasing frequency of these disasters. Even industrialized nations are unable to prevent the devastation caused by severe floods, hurricanes, and other comparable occurrences. However, a lot of nations have been putting money into modernizing their urban infrastructure and have also been preparing civic organizations to offer emergency rescue and relief operations. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s authorities are in a condition of hibernation until a major disaster strikes, so even big cities like Karachi and Lahore are ill-equipped and unable to handle exceptional precipitation. Being ready is the only option, as Pakistan is one of the nations most impacted by climate change. Pakistan cannot stop climate change, but with improved planning and execution, it can get ready to shield its people and infrastructure from natural disasters like the devastating floods of 2022 and beyond.
