PACF meeting on Post Flood issues - Hyderaabad .

PDI ED - Sikander Brohi is speaking on post flood issues in  the meeting .

Add caption PACF - Saleem Abbasi is sharing PACF - reserch reports works .

Add capPACF - meeting on Post Flood issues .

Participnats of meeting discuused various issues in meeting  facing by  rain victims in Sindh and Balochistan  in wake of recent torrentails rains .

                                          

PDI and Oxfam Joint Conslutation workshop on Issues in Emergency .

                                          Sindh CM advsior for Relief Dept , Aleem Adil Sheikh .

MPA Nusrat Sahar Abbasi 

MPA Ayesha Khoso , MPA Nusrat Sahar Abbasi , PDMA ooficer .

   

PACF Meeting on Post Flood Issues - Hyderabad.

Peoples Accountability Commission on Floods (PACF) network of civil society organizations under aegis   of Participatory Development Initiatives (PDI) supported by Oxfam Novib on 21.11.2012 arranged meeting on Post Flood Issues which was held at Indus Hotel Hyderabad.

The agenda of meeting was  “post flood issues” in which members of Peoples Accountability Commission on Floods and civil society representatives from non government organizations , academicians , journalists , Human Right organization members , farmer organizations , affected community members participated and expressed their views  in the meeting on issues of riverine flood affected communities and rain affected communities in Sindh and Balochistan Province. The meeting was chaired by Prof Ismail Kunbhar member of PACF.In the meeting several resolutions were adopted by participants in which highlighted issues of rain affected communities and demanded from government and humantrain agencies to provide adequate relief , food , shelter , health , education , protection facilitates to rain affected communities in their respective districts.   Saleem Abbasi PACF research Advocacy officer , PDI Executive Director Sikander Brohi , Punhial Saryo member of PACF and Sindh Harri Sangat Chairman , Ashothama Human Rights member , Asghar Leghari from Indus Future Foundation , Rizawan Ali Abbasi PACF member from Institute For Social Change , Qamar-ur-Dian Mirpurkhas Press Club President , Kousar Praveen from  SPARC , Mehran Mallah fromSAFWCO , Prof ,  Ismail Khunbar PACF member and others spoke in the meeting .Saleem Abbasi PACF research officer presented his presentation on PACF network research advocacy work and said that first time in history of Pakistan a forum has been established for the people by the people and of the people in which affected rain communities at grass root level raised their issues and made accountable to government and humantrain agencies for resolving their genuine issues faced by rain affected communities in different sectors in affected districts.He added that PACF raised their voice and released more than 26 research reports in different sectors in which highlighted issues of rain affected communities and later these research reports were published in international media, national media and in regional media in both print and electronics. PACF aired FM radio programs on different themes and issues of rain affected communities and also held advocacy meeting with concern deputy commissioners, PDMA officials and other concern officials and raised issues of rain affected communities. He added that from allocation of budget for disaster preparedness to pre, during and post flood issues of rain affected communities were highlighted in PACF research reports.
Participants of meeting discussed that Sindh  and Balochistan provinces  communities  as compare to other provinces communities suffered more in natural disasters due to poor planning and poor efforts being taken by government to mitigates losses of natural disasters and provide adequate relief and shelter facilities to affected communities .
Participants of meeting opined that during 2010 water flood people affected because of feudal lords and sitting ruler’s poor planning policies and it was not natural disaster but feudal lords diverted flood water according to their will and saved their land and aggravated miseries of poor and vulnerable communities. They said that if feudal lords and Sindh government decision makers wanted to divert flood water in desert in 2010  flood water losses could be minimized and thus type of migration never took place just people of Sindh witnessed in 2010 water flooding.

They raised issues of shelter in the meeting and said that still large numbers of 2010 water flood affected and 2011 rain flooding affected communities are not properly rehabilitated and corruption was rampant in state relief work and mostly Pakistan Card, ration and agriculture package distributed among party workers and not among genuine victim communities of riverine and rain floods in different districts of Sindh.
They added that there is  a strong need of prioritize  the issues of flood and rain affected disaster  communities and said that it was observed  in meeting by participants that women are more vulnerable in disasters and they are facing sexual harassment in camps and malnutrition issues after consecutive  water flood , rain flood in Sindh province from since 2010 to 2012 .     They added still rain water is standing in many districts of Sindh and Balochistan and people are waiting for relief help and government authorities only distributed relief on political basis and recent torrential rain affected people of Sindh and Balochistan are left at mercy of God and living miserable lives under open sky without any shelter.
   Participants of meeting said that majority of people in rural area depend on agriculture and consecutive floods since three years badly damaged agriculture sector and mostly vulnerable and poor people who do labour in land or having small size of land did not get any relief that they could resume their descent  livelihoods in affected areas . They rose that its alarming situation that Sindh government mostly distributed livestock packages among their coteries and poor farmers are still deprived from relief package.  
They added that Sindh education sector was completely collapsed in result of natural disasters and poor arrangements being taken by government during pre, post natural disaster situation and still 20 lac both female and male students are deprived to resume their education.
Participants of meeting said that our state especially in Sindh and Balochistan Province never  done pro human development and recent torrential rains which were lashed out in upper region of Sindh province near Balochistan borders in districts Jacobabad and Kamber Shahdadkot rain affected communities are living  in extreme vulnerable conditions and onset winter season further increase their agonies and miseries .
They suggested that there is an urgent need that their issues should be raised in different forums and especially in media and PACF along with its members should visit Sindh and Balochistan recent rain hit districts and later a detail report should be released in media.

They demanded in meeting that sewerage system in Sindh should be redesigned and encroachments from natural water ways should be removed. Transparency in relief work being done by government should be ensured and relief goods and relief packages should be distributed without any political interests. They demanded that for poor Harris and especially agriculture package should be announced and agriculture input without any delay to be distributed among poor and small famer.     Humantrain organization should focus more on vulnerable groups like elder people, disable, children and women.   Sindh government should take appropriate steps to drain out rain water from rain affected districts and still in many districts rain water is standing in many areas of Jacobabad and Kamber Shahdad Kot districts.

PACF shows concern over poor relief efforts taken by Sindh and Balochistan Govts .

Noted experts, intellectuals, writers, human rights activists and civil society representatives have expressed grave concern on the failure of the federal and provincial Sindh government in providing adequate relief and early recovery services to the flood affected communities of Sindh province and Balochistan who affected during 2012monsoon rain.
     Such concern was shown in a provincial level consultation meeting on the issues facing by the flood hit communities of Sindh and Balochistan which was held at PDI Head office on 7.11.2012. The Consultation meeting was organized by Peoples Accountability Commission on floods (PACF) a network of flood relief volunteers of civil society and the representatives of flood affected communities which held at Participatory Development Initiatives head office Karachi.
   They added that it was great concern for people of Sindh and Balochistan that despite they faced continuous flood devastation in 2010, 2011 and in 2012 rain and in flash flood 3,174,716 people were affected , 245,459 crop area of land was affected and government had done only five percent relief while 95 percent rain affected deprive from government relief activities and in Balochistan province 984,401 people were affected 402 ,535 crop area land was affected and
government only had done two percent relief work activities in Balochistan province.
 They said that it was responsibility of the government to assure the dewatering so that peoples can develop their shelters and agriculture for their livelihood.
They that observed rain affected peoples under water even after passage of two months to rain flooding and flash flood devastation..Members have shown grave concern over poor response from government to minimize the issues of the flood affected peoples during the relief services.   Participants of the meeting that it was great concern that still large numbers of rain affected people are deprive from relief activities and left on mercy of God and they are living miserable lives in their rain affected areas .They observed Humanitarian Organizations should take into consideration of cultural sensitivities while relief and recovery services.  Indigenous resources should for relief services rather than taking from other sources if possible.  They demanded Humanitarian Monitoring should be strengthened to ensure accountability for the relief and rehabilitation services .They demanded sustainability of the programs of developments and disaster risk reduction component should made crucial part of the Development Programs. They pointed outthat in Sindh province Mandate of the authorities are not clear like PDMA, Relief Department, DC Office, DDMA and Members of the national and provincial assembly during relief and recovery services. They observed that Corporate Social Responsibility should be fulfilledparticularly in the periphery areas of oil and Gas Company which are back ward and affected and badly hit in rain flooding. They demanded that permanent helpline and main control room should be established to support in generating data for disaster mitigation.
They observed in meeting that Recovery and Rehabilitation plan envisaged by the humanitarian organizations are stopped due to the non serous attitude of the Government. The schools damaged in flood 2011 are waiting for rehabilitation.

They added that during the disaster it was observed that inter provincial influx of the affected peoples in mega cities are being seen as point of suspicion.  New settlements are being discouraged on political basis and this trend should be stopped. They added that
there was strong need to verify to verify the claims made by the government for the quality work of the repair and reconstructions of the irrigation channels and roads.
They added that Disaster related funds, Effective Contingency Planning, Irrigation infrastructure and Relief services should be taken seriously to minimize the impact of the disasters for the
affected peoples.Raehhma Pahanwar, Rauf Nizamani , Saleem Abbasi , Ramzan Chandio , Saeed Sarbazi  Baloch , Faheem Raza , Nisar Mehommad, Nisar Sheikh , Roomana Lakho , Ramzan Memon , Ismail Khunbar,Shabnam Palejo , Asad  Chandio , Fazal Sulman Qazi participated in the meeting .
End.