18 August, 2010

Holding on to Hope

Stories and pictures of human suffering, killing and displacement of millions of people on newspapers; scenes of mass misery, towns and people submerged in water on TV screens are constantly reminding us that the worst disaster of the century is not over yet. Media is also informing that this massive flooding in Pakistan is even worse than Indian Ocean Tsunami (2004), Kashmir earthquake (2005) and Haiti earthquake (2010).
And I also conformed to this belief of media until the same media informed that how all the preparations of 14th August have been called off because of this worst disaster.
So it’s that time of the year again which is associated with celebrations all across the country, flag hoisting at every building and house, firecrackers in all the alleys, national songs being played on TV & radio and of course those same old debates that 'what have we achieved in the last this many years!'
It is 14th August, our 63rd independence day. A grand day for every Pakistani, a day to cherish with full fervor but with half of the country submerged in water, it is hard and somewhat cruel to even imagine celebrating.

17 August, 2010

In pictures: Pakistan's worst flood

Few heart-breaking pictures of Pakistan's worst flood disaster.


Pakistani children sit on a bed to eat their food Saturday in a flood-hit area of Qasim Bella, on the outskirts of Multan, Pakistan.





A child weeps in a relief camp.

03 August, 2010

Counting miseries..

"A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is statistic."

Here are the statistics:


Cost to Agriculture:
US$1,000,000,000

(US$ 1 Billion in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa only)

Pakistanis Affected:
2,500,000

(including incidents of disease and displacement and with rising threats of epidemics)

Households needing help:
100,000

(Mostly in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa)

People still waiting to be evacuated:
27,000

(Including 1500 tourists)

International Relief Pledged so far:
US$30,000,000+

(Including US$10 million from the United States, another US$10 million from the United Nations and US$8 million from United Kingdom)

Death Toll:
1650+

(Estimate of 1500+ in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa only)

A Pakistani villager with his daughter moves wades to safety.