This is the conclusion of the story Life after the floods.
Reclaiming flooded farmland for food security
One has to appreciate the unique geography and topography of this region to understand the fragility of its food security. With rugged and beautiful mountains comes a shortage of arable land. Extreme winters and an alpine climate limit the months in which crops can be grown, and cut off access to food markets elsewhere.
So when the floods destroy crops just before they are harvested, and nothing will grow in the winter, emergency food supplies are just a very short term measure. The floods and landslides left few fields to sow wheat and maize after the winter snows melted.
Agriculture experts from the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) understand the urgent nature of the problem. In the Uchust village in Chitral, parcels of land were reclaimed so that villagers could begin growing wheat. If there are no more floods this year, the village will have food this winter.
In Zulfiqarabad near Gilgit, engineers working with the local community have built walls to buffer against the fast moving water of the Gilgit River. The walls protect the pumps required to carry the water to higher ground, so that farm land can be irrigated. Retired Professor Gul Muhammed, President of the Zulfiqarabad Village Organisation, invited us to taste the fruit of this labour – the most delicious apricots and cherries that I have ever eaten.
Sanitation, education and opportunity
The limits of time and budget meant that sadly, we had to leave the beauty of this northern region of Pakistan. As we travelled south to Sindh, the difference in geography and weather was striking. We drove from Karachi to Sujawal, and then on to Hyderabad, Dadu, and Khairpur Nathan Shah. Fatigued from 16-hour days in the north, it was hard to take the unforgiving 50°C temperatures.
The floods had come from the north, destroying fields and with them the livelihoods of millions. Flatlands remained submerged, people evacuated to camps for internally displaced persons. Crowding, a lack of clean water and poor sanitation facilities meant that doctors and medical staff were in great demand.
The Aga Khan Planning and Building Service constructed shelters with safe drinking water and sanitation facilities for many of the affected villages in Sindh. We came across village women who had never previously seen a lavatory in their lives and who now had access to these facilities.
Medical staff from the Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHS,P) conducted mobile clinics in these villages. They provided free medicine and immunisation shots, delivered babies and offered any other medical services that were required. The Aga Khan University (AKU) sent doctors to augment government health services in many flood affected areas of the country.
With disasters, come opportunities. Sikander Talpur of (AKHS,P) and Dr Danish Noorani (Aga Khan University) explained that most of the diseases they are treating are preventable. Simple things like boiling water, maintaining personal hygiene and eating the right types of food make a big difference. Medical workers have therefore been educating people about such measures and new toilets and shelters have been built, so the population will be more prepared and less vulnerable in the future. We witnessed health education training being held in clinics under trees, in barns and any other place where villagers would gather to listen.
Departing reflections
Disaster often calls unexpectedly, and leaves behind victims who need food, shelter, medical attention, education, and long term security. The agencies of the AKDN have seamlessly woven different strands of their expertise to address all of these needs, and to stand alongside the people who were affected.
As I depart Pakistan, I cannot help thinking of the many individuals that I met in the course of two weeks who had made such an impact. Brave people, who had lost homes, families and livelihoods, but who refused to give up on life. Yet, their hospitality was astounding – even when they had little to offer, their desire to share with their guests was touching and humbling.
Then there were the dedicated volunteers and professionals from the various AKDN agencies. Their actions, commitment and dedication spoke loudest: We are here, they said, and as long as we are needed, we are not going away. We will overcome this together.
“Due to different geographies and difficult terrains, we have many challenges in terms of trying to access people who have been affected. We can't just abandon them – we have a moral responsibility to ensure that we actually deliver services to these distressed communities. It is our ethical responsibility to ensure that we reach all these communities and that not a single person should be untouched by our assistance. But they have got to be included as part of the process, they have got to get their sense of well being and pride back.
“And this is the challenge and this is where we succeed as a network. Because we were able to go in, we were able to work with the communities, understand their needs. Culturally, there are specific needs in this country. Male doctors can't attend to women for example and women doctors can't attend to men.
“So these types of differences also have to figure in our response, which makes it even more of a challenge but we have a historical network, we have got a historical experience of working in this area so we understand the idiosyncrasies, we understand the cultural differences. So, I think we were able to respond effectively and efficiently and in good time even in isolated areas.”
– Aitmadi Iqbal Walji, President of the Ismaili Council for Pakistan
Author Faridoun Hemani is a broadcast journalist who has worked with international broadcasters such as CNN, ABC News and Worldwide Television News, covering wars and conflicts for 30 years in areas such as Baghdad, Yugoslavia and Somalia. He has been producing films on the AKDN worldwide for the last 16 years with his independent production company Linx Productions.
