Opening Hearts and Doors

Countless NGOs, welfare organizations reach out in hard-to-access areas in order to assist the affected populations in KP

The response of volunteers, government and non-government organizations in all corners of Pakistan in reaching the flood-affected people in the recent weeks has yet again proved the compassionateness of this nation. As happens after every earthquake, flood or any other natural or manmade calamity, kind-hearted and generous Pakistanis rush towards helping the affected people in their hardest hour. However, like several instances in the past, there are cries of maladministration in the distribution of relief goods in many floods affected areas.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the provincial government has been trying since day one to reach out to anyone at the receiving end of the floods. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had provided his government’s helicopter for the evacuation of stranded tourists and locals in Bahrain, Kalam and other tourist destinations in Upper Swat and Upper Dir. The same helicopter also assisted in the provision of food and non-food items to the people who were stuck because the floodwater washed away roads and bridges.

Similarly, countless local and national non-governmental organizations and relief and welfare organizations, some affiliated with political parties have been trying to reach the hard-to-access areas in order to assist the affected populations there. The efforts of welfare organizations like Al Khidmat Foundation, Bacha Khan Trust, Faizan Global Relief Foundation of Dawat e Islami.

Valuing the efforts and generosity of their helpers, affected people in different areas of KP thank the timely assistance they are able to receive. However, many rue the mismanagement in relief efforts. In some instances, journalists covering the flood updates and following relief works witnessed the provision of food and non-food items to the same beneficiaries again and again while at the same time many more in the same localities were missed out in the distribution processes.

Zubair Torwali, head of Idara Baraye Taleem wa Taraqi (IBT) in Bahrain, Upper Swat is deeply concerned about the challenges of transparency in the distribution of relief goods as he recalls the past experiences. “I fear that like in the past calamities, be it the 2005 earthquake or the 2010 floods the donations sent to our country from around the world might end up in the bank accounts of people who never miss a chance of seizing such opportunities. It is a known fact that in the past, little money was spent on helping the needy while many people became rich because of that money,” Torwali expressed.

Recalling another bad experience from the past, Torwali lamented the inclination of some people towards corruption. “Even on a scale as low as daily wages that the NGOs and INGOs used to provide to locals as cash for work and food for work, there were complaints of corruption as undeserving people were getting daily wages while many actual labourers were ripped of their due payments,” Torwali claimed.

Zubair Torwali appreciated the recent efforts of the provincial government and many welfare organizations but he fears they are insufficient and slow-paced. “Food rations are distributed in Bahrain but people in areas far from the main town like Budai Kamar, Badai, Serai, Laikot, Gantar Mali and Shaledar are in dire need of food and medical assistance. No one is reaching them and they are forced to ask for help from people in Bahrain. They walk many kilometres up and down the mountains to take any food they can get from people who split their rations,” Zubari Torwali added.

Torwali added that the district administration managed to deliver 10 minitrucks load of food to Kumrat valley in Upper Dir via Badgoi Top in Upper Swat. Kumrat still remains inaccessible as the roads were washed away in the floods.

Torwali is also worried about the official procedures causing long delays for organizations. “We know from past experiences that the NOCs are not easy to come. Often welfare organizations would run out of time and their projects would expire as they uselessly waste months in getting NOCs for assisting thousands of people in urgent need of assistance,” he opined.

Torwali is also alarmed about the appearance of NGOs with unknown backgrounds and track records. “Lesser number of civil society and NGOs in the field due to the hurdles caused by the concerned authorities in the past has given way to extremist organizations that should not be working in this sector. Similarly, unregistered organizations with no welfare work background and unknown motives have also emerged after the recent floods,” he detailed.

Social media influencer Nasarullah Khan in Kalam has been highlighting the issues of his people and promoting tourism in the Upper Swat region for many years. His timely updates on the floods helped in highlighting the difficulties of the people, particularly the over 6,000 tourists who were stranded in Kalam after the floods cut off the tourist destination from the rest of the country.

“The earliest challenge was to provide food to the guests in Kalam. All food that was in store in the market was finished in just two days, all of sudden creating a food shortage. However, the locals of Kalam decided to let the tourists be helped first with food and evacuation,” Nasarullah informed Bol News.

“This repaid well as the tourists upon return to their hometowns in Islamabad, Punjab and Sindh motivated many NGOs and well-off people who rushed to Kalam to help the locals with cash, food and non-food items,” he added.

Nasarullah Khan argues that the provincial government and NGOs food and medical assistance is reaching many deserving people but it was far from sufficient. “Provincial government and Army helicopters have been delivering food and medicine in Kalam and other areas. However, thousands of people in Ushu, Matiltan, Palogah, Bluewater, Anakar, Utror and Gabral are yet to receive any food delivery,” he claimed.

Nasarullah Khan believes that reestablishing a road-ling between Kalam and Bahrain should be put as a top priority. “Many people walked 35 kilometres from Bahrain to deliver food to stranded people in Kalam. Several kilometres of the road has been washed away at different locations which is why the people of Kalam collectively decided to rebuild the road. Hundreds of people worked round the clock before the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) arrived to add pace to the construction work. Thankfully, Kalam is reconnected with Bahrain as of Thursday midnight,” Nasarullah Khan expressed.

Nasarullah Khan urged the government and welfare organizations to ensure the provision of winter kits to people who have lost their homes as the cold weather is already affecting the lives of flood-affected people, particularly children and the elderly.

“The temperature has already dropped considerably and people will be needing blankets and warm clothing within a couple of weeks. Usually, most of our people migrate to warmer areas in KP and Punjab in the winter season. They can be helped by government and welfare organizations in paying the accommodation rents in those areas,” he opined.

The situation in the extremely underdeveloped, rather often forgotten Upper Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the situation is even worse. According to Hafeez ur Rahman, a resident of Kandia, the biggest issue for people is accessibility as some 120 kilometres of roads, and dozens of bridges were washed away in the floods.

“Locals are trying to rebuild the road to access the markets but it is beyond their capacity. People are desperately waiting for food items. People stuck in valleys far from the now extinct road are living in extreme conditions as they have no access to food. They are borrowing from each other but there is not enough food left,” Hafeez ur Rahman detailed.

He claimed that the helicopter services operated only for two days to evacuate people and deliver food rations. “The Deputy Commissioner’s office is helping in distributing food rations but it is not enough for families for a single day. Some political and welfare organizations also distributed some food but that too has stopped now,” Hafeez added.

Hafeez ur Rahman added that people were also in need of medicine and winter kits as the situation in different areas in Upper and Lower Kohistan remained extremely difficult. “Spread of different diseases in on the rise. People in Dubair, Ranulia and Kayal in Lower Kohistan are also in a very bad situation as there has been little assistance in those areas,” Hafeez ur Rahman added.