BADIN: October 5, 2011. (By Abbas Kassar) The government of Pakistan as well as well as that of Sindh have failed to provide food, medicines and clean drinking water to around 8,8 flood affected people of 23 districts of the province as a result, more than 1000 people have died of house collapse, drowning in gushing rain/drain water, being electrocuted, spread of epidemics of gastro, malaria and other water borne diseases and hunger. According to National Disaster Management Authority, 3 million have been inflicted in various diseases mostly children and women. In a report made public 2 days back NDNA says “because of no proper medical arrangements one million people have fallen ill since last 20 days." It has apprehended that as many as 40,000 women (who are said to be pregnant) might lose their lives if they are not properly given medical care. In its earlier report it had alleged that government has failed to come to rescue and then relief to flood affected people. So far 1032 people out of flood affected have died throughout the province in a month long rains that played havoc with almost all 23 districts of Sindh but few districts including Badin, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Thatta,Tando Muhammad Khan,Tando Allahyar, Sanghar, Tharparkar and Benazirabad were hit hard where the rain and canal/outfall drains breach water was still standing causing spread of water borne diseases that are taking toll on daily basis as the authorities have totally failed to provide health cover to the teeming millions especially children who are dying of gastro, malaria, flu and skin and other diseases. No day passes when more than dozen people do not die of diseases while the federal as well as provincial governments appear to be indifferent with the suffering and pathos of the ill-fated people. The National Disaster Management Authority has alleged that government was holding Rs.5 billion as balance from last year's flood fund and said that if this amount was released and used on giving food and health care to affected people many a precious lives could have been saved. Meanwhile former prime minister and leader of the opposition Mian Nawaz Sharif has also alleged that government of president Asif Zardari has ignored nearly 9 million flood affected people of Sindh ( despite fact that the president belongs from Sindh) and have left the helpless people on mercy of hunger and diseases. He has said that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Jeelani was keeping Rs.19 billion in his discretionary fund but was not releasing amount from this fund to alleviate sufferings of the affected people; It is a cruel joke with more than 8 million flood affected people passing days and nights under miserable condition, that Sindh health secretary Rizwan Ahhmed says that the medicines they have asked from India and France will reach in first week of October which means until then many hundreds more are to die. There has been no or little arrangement of medical care either by the government or NGOs. There has been no arrangement of temporary latrines as a result people especially women feel humiliation. In fact in view of dearth of items of food, drinking water and medical care flood affected people are humiliated and are trying hard to save lives of their children. In many places affected people are forced to drink the stagnant rain water which is causing more diseases. This water has turned blue and brackish. According to statement of Sindh Chief Minister that 70% damage was done by breaches in outfall drains main among them being Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) which is most hated among people of Badin as this very LBOD had brought devastations in past many occasions. Due to its wrong design the outfall drain which carries saline and drain water of Punjab and upper Sindh districts, flows backward carrying the sea water back to inundate the fertile belt of lower Sindh. It is most amazing fact that despite statements of chief minister and other ministers, the breaches to outfall drains and canals has not been plugged despite passage of 24 days since it rained last. Another failure was on part of irrigation department whose minister Saifullah Dharejo has confessed inefficiency of his department to plug breaches and to drain out rain and breach water yet he is still in his chair along with his boss chief minister Qaim Ali Shah who has done no service to Sindhi people except chairing meetings that have proved futile. Pakistan government had taken no lesson from last year's floods that had rendered almost 7 million people in Sindh alone as homeless and in all 1.8 millions in whole country. Many affected of last year's floods have not been rehabilitated as yet. Government also turned its ears on weather warnings in early August this year of torrential rains and did take to steps to make arrangements for any emergency plans. The President of Pakistan Asif Zardari had not visited the flood affected area of Sindh which makes the size of Egypt and half of England except for once at his own district Benazirabad for the purpose of photo session while the chief minister of Sindh and his whole big cabinet of the size of China has been locked in provincial capital city Karachi holding meetings of the issues of lesser nature. President Zardari continued to visiting foreign countries including China, Tajkistan and other central Asian countries caring no or little about the sufferings of flood hit people as flood was playing havoc with people. Sindh government has said that the province has received losses of more than 550 billion dollars but he did not spell out what measures his government was taking to recoup these losses. According to independent sources crops of cotton, sugar cane, rice, vegetables and fruit sown on 1.2 million hectares of land had been swept away in rain and drain breach waters. A parliamentary delegation that was headed by former federal minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and that had visited flood hit districts of Sindh, had said in a press conference in Karachi on 21 September that no one had died of hunger or drowning but alas the delegation that had taken only aerial view of the flood hit areas and had landed at Mirza farm in Badin did not bother to meet or talk to any flood affected family and also did not take briefing from any official. Raja Pervez Ashraf was accompanied with 2 Sindh ministers Ayaz Soomro and Sharjeel Memon during his press conference in Karachi. However a week later irrigation minister has confessed that few persons had died of hunger. It is my conviction that had there been a younger chief minister in Sindh in place of present octogenarian Qaim Ali Shah, he would have surely stood among the people in flood water and had helped reduce their miseries . Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah had told another lie while during his meeting with WB and ADB officials in Karachi on Wednesday that only 400 persons had died during the rain/breach water flooding in Sindh and that 8.9 million people were affected while his information minister Sharjeel Memon on same day told media that number of deaths was more than 400 while 8.1 million were affected. There is contradiction in statements issued by various ministers’ reason being that they have not visited the affected areas and are issuing statements from their air-conditioned offices. I have complied a list of 7 persons who had died of hunger, their names are being written here as eye opener to federal parliamentary delegation who claimed no death by hunger. The died are: Muhammad Bux Khaskheli in Digri, 10 years Sindhu daughter of Ali Akbar Leghari in Nabi Ser, 25 years Bilal son of Mataro in Bhirya City, 60 years Mushtaq in Talhi, an unknown woman also died of hunger in Jogi Basti near Tando Jan Muhammad, 4 years Seema and 2 years Bilal Jeskani on Gharo canal near New Dumbalo. The list of those who had died of drowning in flood water contains 98 names mostly children but due to space these names cannot be written here. However if Raja Pervez Ashraf desires to see the list I can then show him same because it is he who had lied that no one has died of drowning. Of 1034 dead majority is of children and also a number of pregnant women had died of receiving no medicines or medical treatment. There is wide criticism on distribution of ration and other food items to affected people in relief camps or sitting on the road sites and canal banks as local media is full of political interference in the flood relief. The NGOs and officials of local administration provide ration to such persons who bring a Sifarshi Chit from local PPP Jiala( ruling party workers) and in most cases only favorite ones find the way to get Chit. There are wide spread reports that in Badin Jialas and NGO workers have filled their homes and warehouses with relief goods received by them from state or foreign donor agencies. These hundreds of thousands of hungry people when see ay vehicles approaching they rush to get the food first and in stampede many are injured. In Jhol town of Sanghar district an MPA of ruling party Rana Sattar filled his warehouses with relief items and when the hungry people came to know they rushed to his go downs to get food so to that they can remain alive for few more days but the guards of MPA opened fire on them killing two 2 hungry men 12 years Ghulam Hussain Shar and Ghulam Rasool Mari. In Badin while standing in a long row outside NADRA office to get the Pakistan Card through which one can get Rs.10,000 from bank, an old man Umar Mallah died of stempede. There are other instances where police have baton charged the hungry when they rushed to get food. The interesting fact is that during more than one month long rain and floods no federal or provincial minister is seen sharing the miseries and pathos of the affected people. All except a few have kept themselves away from their constituencies out of rage of people. Badin district has been hit worst with 1 million out of 1.4 million population being affected and more than 2,00,000 homes destroyed people are sitting on road sites or on canal banks as they have been ejected from relief camps which were set up in schools. They watch truck loads of relief goods passing through them but not stopping as the district administration has issued orders that all relief material be brought first to DCO office. However from DCO office the relief materials finds its way to ruling party MPA and other Jialas who give same to their own favorite men mostly unaffected while the ill-fated remain hungry. It was ashtoning that government continues to tell lies to the nation and international community. On 4th October President Zardari held video conference in which his spokesman has said that 300,000 tents have been given to the homeless affected people in 7 districts including Badin, Mirpurkhas, Benazirabad, Umerkot, Tando Muhammad Khan and Sanghar but in Badin as this scribe has visited the hundreds of thousands of affected people sitting on road sites on Badin-Golarchi road, Badin, Tando Bago road, Badin Talhar road and Badin to Kadhan road no tent was seen to the length of my look.