Editorial:
Children have faced the brunt of floods and rains across Balochistan. As per the statistics shared by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), 32 children lost their lives in rains and floods-related incidents throughout the province.
Rescue workers retrieved the dead bodies of children beneath the collapsed houses and floods after hectic efforts. In Pishin, the rescue workers and local people retrieved the dead bodies of two children after 48 hours.
The hapless parents and other family members of the children went through dumb agony while waiting for their loved ones. The parents spent sleepless nights in the hope of recovery of their missing children in most of the cases. People complained about the late arrival of poorly-equipped and trained PDMA technical teams for recovering the dead bodies.
Also Read: Flash floods rains claim 11 lives injured 21 in Balochistan
torrential rains have claimed 99 lives in two weeks
In Balochistan, flash floods unleashed by torrential rains have claimed 99 lives in two weeks. Floods also claimed the lives of 28 women in the province.
This recent wave of monsoon rains has to be an eye opener for the Balochistan government and PDMA. This daily has always advocated that PDMA should go beyond the distribution of commodities rather it should be well-equipped and trained to cope with natural disasters.
Also Read: Torrential rains claim 9 lives in Balochistan
Balochistan is prone to all-natural disasters
Balochistan is prone to all-natural disasters including floods, drought, and earthquakes. The capacity of PDMA staff should be improved and its overall performance should be reviewed to prepare it for future natural calamities.
Also Read: 5 killed over a dozen injured as Quetta receives heavy rainfall
In view of the looming threat of natural calamities, The Balochistan government should establish a board of directors for the PDMA comprising environmental, disaster, and financial experts to enhance the capacity and ensure transparency in the authority. Mere a director general of grade 19 or 20 officers should not run the authority. All data, distribution rescue, and relief operations should be digitalized to make the authority more responsive and accountable.
2 comments