Monsoon rains and flash floods have inflicted huge losses in terms of lives and materials across the country. Thousands of houses, schools, hospitals, roads, bridges and highways stand shattered. Balo-chistan, Sindh and southern Punjab have been hit hard, but the devastation has not been much less in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), including the scenic tourist spots in the north.
When such calamities strike, the government takes short-term measures and provides financial aid and relief packages. However, the need of the hour is to take concrete measures and make cities and villages resilient to climate change.
Some of the measures include empowerment of local governments to take control of their respective areas, capacity building of the disaster management machinery to prevent huge losses, prioritising development projects in vulnerable areas, rehabilitation of the victims, implementing proper waste management techniques, initiating urban planning based on international standards, and strict compliance with policies.
If Pakistan fails to take proactive actions, it may face socio-economic, environmental and political turmoil in the years ahead. The citizens acorss the country should share this responsibility equally. They need to promote cleanliness and to take care of public infrastructure.
AZIZA
PESHAWAR
