Aid and disaster.

Byline: Waseem Shabbir

THE recent disastrous floodings have wreaked havoc in Pakistan claiming life casualties over 1200 including 416 children.

More than 33 million were badly hit in this disaster. However, a large number of flood affectees have been successfully rescued and shifted to the safer areas with the coordinated efforts by the rescue teams and volunteers.

Now, the next exigent step is to supply food, medicine and shelter to the affected families. Nevertheless, rebuilding the infrastructure devastated by flash floods and extreme precipitation would be the most daunting task to execute.

This whole rehabilitation and reconstruction requires humongous finances to be spent on floods ravaged areas and afflicted people.

Pitifully, the unprecedented flash floods brought more destruction to the already underdeveloped areas proving viciously fatal for the dwindling economy of Pakistan.

Poor and downtrodden have suffered the most by this disaster. As per assessment, the complete restoration of flood hit areas may take more than five years.

No fewer than $10 billion are emergently required for the rebuilding and repairs of a number of devastated roads, buildings, bridges, houses, schools, hospitals and hotels.

Although, ample flood relief funds are being raised by the government, international organisations and local community, they do not seem sufficient to overcome destruction caused by recent calamitous floodings.

And the dark side of the picture is that the funds which have been collected so far hold no surety to be spent wholly due to the prevalent malpractices of misappropriation and embezzlement of funds.

Our past is fully lithered a with number of such egregious and shameful practices during the times of disasters.

Some reports disclose that during floods in 2010, Saudi Arabia's gift of 252 lakh tents to flood affectees was illegally sold in the market by the involved commission mafia.

A 'Civil society flood situation report' released by 'People's Accountability Commission on floods' disclosed that an amount of Rs 8 billion pledged for the rehabilitation of flood affected people under Annual Development Programme 2011-2012 allocated to MPAs of Sindh province for development works in their constituencies was brazenly devoured by them.

Similarly, Rs 12 billion provided in the 'Sindh Social Relief Fund' for responding national disasters and emergencies were also not utilised in 2010-2011 rather the same amount was transferred to the...