Our Land of the Pure is once again facing the horrors of devastating flash floods, resulting in the tragic loss of human lives as well as the total destruction of infrastructure worth billions of rupees. Sadly, like every year, the environmental or ecological catastrophe is erroneously but deliberately buried under new buzzwords such as 'cloudburst', rather than admitting failures related to adequate preparations to cope with natural and man-made disasters, poor administration and even poorer governance, and total surrender to the land and timber mafias with the obvious connivance of all concerned from top to bottom. Added to this is the minimal national effort to mitigate the ill effects of global warming and climate change, along with disregard for turning the challenge into opportunity through appropriate water management, by constructing hundreds of big, medium and small dams and by vacating natural waterways that have been constricted by massive, illegal and suicidal construction across the country.
An environmental or ecological disaster is defined as a catastrophic event concerning the natural environment that is caused by human activity. This distinguishes environmental disasters from other disturbances such as natural disasters and intentional acts of war such as nuclear bombings. Natural disasters include geophysical, meteorological and climate events such as earthquakes, volcanic activity, landslides, drought, wildfires, storms, and flooding. Environmental disasters demonstrate how human alteration of the land has led to widespread and long-lasting consequences. These have included deaths of wildlife, humans and plants, deforestation, and severe disruption of human life or health, possibly requiring migration. Some environmental disasters are the trigger for more expansive environmental conflicts, where affected groups attempt to confront the actors responsible. Historically, environmental disasters have affected agriculture, biodiversity, the economy, and human health. The most common causes include pollution seeping into groundwater or other water bodies, emissions into the atmosphere, depletion of natural resources, industrial activity, and unsustainable agricultural practices. Since 1976 to date, the world has suffered numerous ecological disasters due to climate change caused by global warming. A 2013 report examined the relationship between disasters and poverty worldwide, concluding that without concerted action there could be upwards of 325 million people living in the 49 countries most exposed to the full range of natural hazards and climate extremes by 2040.
Most experts believe that although developed countries with access to resources that can help mitigate environmental disasters often contribute the most to factors that increase such risks, it is developing countries that experience the impacts far more intensely than their wealthier counterparts. Populations that contribute little to climate change are often those with the fewest resources to withstand its consequences. Nevertheless, this does not absolve less developed countries like Pakistan from the responsibility to ensure better, down-to-earth governance by the legislature, effective management by the executive, and fair and timely dispensation of justice by the judiciary. These three branches of government represent the fundamental components of a functional system of governance, each with distinct roles and responsibilities to ensure balance of power, smooth and transparent operations, and accountability. However, the attempt to conceal the real issues through disinformation is more disturbing - i.e. erroneously attributing flooding and landslides solely to the 'cloudburst phenomenon'. A cloudburst is a sudden, intense, and localised downpour of rain, often exceeding 100mm per hour, leading to flash floods. It is characterised by short duration and a high volume of rainfall over a relatively small area. Most experts appearing on television channels are hesitant to acknowledge the real reasons for recurrent disasters: timber mafias cutting trees in hilly areas, causing soil erosion, landslides, and flash floods; and land mafias, hand in glove with authorities, constructing housing schemes and commercial buildings on riverbeds, natural waterways, and precarious hill slopes.
At the global level, affected countries have made many attempts in recent years to mitigate the impact of environmental disasters. Scientists have long warned that climate change is making monsoons more erratic, localised cloudbursts more destructive, and glacier melting more devastating - all linked more to human failure than natural inevitability. Climate change is expected to escalate in the coming years. If the Government of Pakistan is truly serious about avoiding such frequent catastrophes, the timber and land mafias must be punished severely and eliminated once and for all. The government's to-do list must include: massive afforestation through a national mobilisation plan; halting the conversion of hills into crushed stone and cement; proper watershed management including construction of dams, bridges and strong embankments; provision of comprehensive disaster management resources at all vulnerable sites through the NDMA; modern weather warning systems; removal of all constructions obstructing natural waterways and located dangerously close to water channels or on precarious mountain slopes. A simple drive along the roads to Murree/AJK, GB/NA, and Swat/Malakand (KPK) reveals further disasters in the making.
It goes without saying that the Almighty created the Earth as a self-sustaining, exquisite, and most caring resort for mankind. However, when some act against God's scheme of things, Nature strikes back - and no human effort can escape its force.
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