By M K George

Rome, Sept 18, 2022: Pakistan has had one of the worst floods in their history. At least 1,335 people are reported killed. Roads, crops, homes and bridges have been washed away. Already in severe economic crisis, with the floods, according to the planning minister of Pakistan, the country has lost, at least 10 billion dollars.

As per the report of UNICEF on September 16, ‘Torrential monsoon rains have triggered the most severe flooding in Pakistan’s recent history, washing away villages and leaving around 3.4 million children in need of assistance and at increased risk of waterborne diseases, drowning and malnutrition… Young children are living out in the open with their families, with no drinking water, no food, and no livelihood, exposed to a wide range of new flood-related risks and hazards, including from damaged buildings and drowning in floodwaters.’
Does the World care?
In a pathetic appeal Fatima Bhutto, a Pakistani writer wrote: ‘Today, one third of my country is submerged under water…One in seven Pakistanis have been affected…About 900,000 livestock have been lost, and more than two million acres of farmland and 90 per cent of crops have been damaged…the lack of attention on Pakistan is heart-breaking: Too few major international cultural figures are speaking up for us in this moment of crisis’
India, the closest neighbor, and part of the integral history of the country, had spoken. The Prime Minister had tweeted his condolences and wished an early restoration of normalcy. Beyond that, whether any substantial help has been provided is anyone’s guess. India’s response to the tragedy will be determined by geo-political factors and pulls of ‘disaster diplomacy.’

In a perceptive observation, Subhajit Roy remarked, ‘however, some in the Indian establishment believe that the government’s stated policy of “talks and terror can’t go together”, and the extending of help to Pakistan are at odds with each other. For New Delhi, the decision is as much about projecting power as a global responder as with managing the ruling party’s domestic political base.’ (Indian Express Global 9 September 2022).

In effect, it is doubtful whether any credible help for Pakistan will follow when they need it most.

The Developed World blamed

It is interesting to note that observers have observed these floods as the result of the ubiquitous climate change, which the developed world has to take primary responsibility for. The planning minister of Pakistan said, ‘Pakistan is a victim of climate change caused by the “irresponsible development” of the developed world. Pakistan is about 2.6 per cent of the world’s population and contributes less than one per cent of global carbon emissions and it has paid a monumental price’.

Once again, politics and power are playing games and the call for the Global North to take up responsibility is unlikely to be heard.

A warning that cannot be ignored

‘Pakistan has long been a cipher, a warning for the world….And so the wealthy world do well to pay attention. The horrors that Pakistan is struggling with today could soon come for everyone’, observes Fatima Bhutto.

India is equally another lesson in point. The country has had its share of climate disasters, the latest of which was in Bengaluru, Karnataka, the cyber capital of India. Experts have observed that ‘the floods have been exacerbated by poor urban planning, highlighting how cities in India and elsewhere need to adapt as climate change brings more extreme rainfall in the future.’

Pope Francis has consistently called for the involvement not only of the rich and powerful but also every human actor. He said, ‘there can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself.’ He has insisted that we need to strengthen the conviction that we are one single family.

Pakistan floods remind us that action for the protection of environment cannot wait any longer. Neither can it be left to a few political leaders and scientists. It is time that every individual human living on this earth takes the challenge of saving the earth. If only we heed the call of Pope Francis: ‘Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it’.

We will ignore the lessons of recent Pakistan floods at our own peril.