‘Environmental hazards turn into disasters through anthropogenic activities’

Karachi based researcher and academic,
Mansoor Raza

Mansoor Raza is a PhD scholar and a Karachi based academic, with a keen interest in peripatetic style of wisdom accumulation. As an expert on disaster management, this week, he talks to Bol News about the floods currently devastating the country. Following are excerpts from his interview;

Why are the present floods so devastating and how can the country be prepared for future floods?

Mansoor Raza: We’ve known about climate change and its impacts for years – from as early as the 90s. We were forewarned about its impact on our demography, how it relates to environmental degradation and our unplanned developmental initiatives. We have developed infrastructure that blocks the natural flow of water, be it in the rural or urban areas. Existing infrastructure has not been maintained or cleaned, leading to a reduction in their carrying capacity. Furthermore, developments continue to occur on flood-plains and natural water-beds which are meant for overflow, not for permanent structures. Environmental hazards have always existed, but they transform into disaster when we continue to carry out anthropogenic activities. We have seen this happen before with the 2004 Tsunami, because we established settlements right on the coast which is vehemently against natural laws. If we continue on this path, these disasters will only worsen.

Flood-plains, nullahs and causeways, are some of the most critical tools to mitigate the catastrophic impacts of flooding. However, many of these have been developed or encroached upon to meet housing demands. What is a possible solution to this issue?

MR: The solution to this is actually very simple and relates to urban planning. Our country’s major urban centre, Karachi, is still very lucky that it has urban areas, in the places like DHA for instance, that are empty and have the capacity to be developed. And this is in a metropolis, where we assume there is a shortage of land. Not to mention that we have land across the National Highway and Superhighway ready to be developed for housing. So, the solution is to gentrify the city, which will understandably impact the rural customs and mentality of some people, however it is necessary to ensure the success of urban development and to prevent calamities. If we opt for vertical development and offer people a respectable solution after razing encroached settlements, instead of moving them to another shanty neighbourhood,  they will accept it.

Despite having access to the right data, and making outstanding reports on paper, the country still remains at high-risk of natural disasters. Can this just be chalked up government incompetency?

MR: The first thing to recognise when discussing this is that the role of the State has changed over the years from being a provider to a facilitator. The State is a facilitator to the private sector and is forced to negotiate with it. Unless, the private sector lets go of its corporate greed we will see these issues continue. The country has detailed legislation protecting the environment, regulating urban planning and so forth, however, there is a serious problem of implementation.

Floods across the country are particularly devasting resource deprived areas and disaster management appears to be inadequate. Why is this?

MR: We do indeed have all the data, hazard reports and information required on the matter. The problem is that this is a priority issue. Floods and natural disasters are only news for a little while in the media. For the majority of time the conversations revolve around national politics. Disaster management is not being made a priority on the national level. It relates to governance, especially on the local level, where you would actually be able to identify area-based issues.

How can we better manage the current disaster?

MR: At the moment, no institution has the capacity to meet the relief requirements immediately. You must involve the Forces and carry out need assessments in each area, which cannot be done without helicopters, as there is a communication and infrastructure breakdown.

This initial need assessment will tell you how much and which types of relief goods are required in each area. After this, rehabilitation efforts, including reconstruction of houses, can take place. And all this needs to be a coordinated effort between State institutions and the private sector.