LESSONS : ''' '' ASIA'S
TOMORROW'S
ASSAIL '' '''
THE WORLD STUDENTS SOCIETY : - MOST RESPECTFULLY and lovingly called !WOW! is in the direct knowledge and admiration of every esteemed leader
and statesmen and organisation in the world.
INVENTING TOMORROW : The World Students Society is the exclusive ownership
of every student in the world '' Welcome All to !WOW! ''.
RESPONDING TO FLOODS : The Global Founder Framers of !WOW!, led by the Founders and Students of this great nation, the United States
of America, rise, to thank all leaders of the world for their growing
support to Proud Pakistan.
AN USUALLY Heavy monsoon has caused havoc in South Asia this year. In May
and June it inundated swathes of Bangladesh and north-eastern India, killing
hundreds and displacing millions.
Over the past few weeks, it has battered Pakistan, where more than 1,400
people have lost their homes in the deluge. A third of the country is under
water.
When such a catastrophe strikes, there is an urgent need not just to provide
humanitarian support but also to learn lessons for the future. And in
Pakistan's case, the country does not have to look far to find them.
Flood-prone countries have spent decades developing methods to contain the
damage that others can readily adopt. Broadly, these fall into three
categories.
.- Infrastructure adjustments.
.- Early warning systems.
.- Efficient channels for swift financial relief.
In South Asia Bangladesh has led the way on all three.
'' This is what Pakistan needs to learn from Bangladesh ''.
Bangladesh has for years invested in flood defences to protect its low-lying
coastal regions from cyclones. Residents near the coasts and in regions
farther inland that are at risk from monsoon-related flooding have been
encouraged to make their houses more resistant to floods, and have received
money to do so.
Shelters have been put in place on raised ground, and modified to include
women-only facilities and take animals, making people more willing to use
them. As for early warning, researchers gather weather data down to village
level to predict floods in advance.
People are warned via text messages and from the loud speakers of mosques to
leave their homes, and helped to shelters by trained volunteers. Cash and,
increasingly, mobile-money transfers provide financial help without
bureaucracy.
Plenty of countries need to increase investment in flood defences. Pakistan
itself improved its early-warning systems after flash floods killed more
than 2,000 people in 2010, which may have lowered the death toll of the
current floods.
Better cash-transfer networks should help provide relief to those who have
lost their livelihoods.
Yet it is clear that Pakistan has failed to take fully on board the lessons
on offer from Bangladesh. One reason is a reluctance to heed sufficiently
the threat posed by climate change, a failure that affects rich countries,
too.
The weather patterns behind the latest disaster are consistent with what is
expected in a warming world. As they become more common and affect areas not
used to such extremes, more people will have to be better prepared.
BUT THE BIGGER reason is politics. Pakistan's have been a mess, distracting
from the sort of patient planning needed to build resilience against floods.
The floods have hit a country already reeling from economic and political
instability.
Proud Pakistan's plight also provides a different sort of warning about the
broader impact of global warming. As climate conditions grow more extreme
around the world, they are likely to produce more political instability.
Shockingly large numbers of people may be forced to leave their homes in the
coming decades as climate change renders their cities and villages
uninhabitable.
Calls to compensate poorer, worse affected countries for climate changes
they did not cause are likely to grow louder. All the preparation may not be
enough to contain the fallout.
The Sadness and Suffering of the people of Pakistan are brought to the
world, through the daily publishing of Samdailytimes : '' The Voice Of The
Voiceless ''. The World Students Society thanks The Economist.
With respectful dedication to Mankind, all leaders of the world, and then
Students, Professors and Teachers. See Ya all prepare and register for Great
Global Elections on The World Students Society - for every subject in the
world : wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter !E-WOW! - The Ecosystem 2011 :
Good Night and God Bless
SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless
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