FLOODS AND OPPORTUNITY TO REBUILD:

Leaving millions of people stranded throughout the country and causing losses worth
billions of dollars, the floods in 2010 destroyed everything along its path. The country
that had already been facing tremendous troubles on several fronts came across yet
another challenge when at one time approximately one fifth of the country was under
water, however, the worst was yet to come as the region was hit with the worst monsoon
rains recorded in eight decades according to the Pakistan Meteorological department.

Enthralled by the unexpected damage, there wasn’t much the Government could do on its
own with the limited resources it possessed besides damage control as an aftermath to
this calamity. The ruling Government party that promised food shelter and clothing to
masses in its manifesto did seem vulnerable as millions were forced to evacuate their
homes and spend their nights without a shelter. Livestock and agriculture were directly
affected by floods as Pakistan faced severe food shortages and the majority of Pakistanis
living in rural areas lost every source of income they had. The frustration of losing
everything is a perfect catalyst for Anarchy and the situation seems to get worse for the
Government with the passage of time.

As a wise man once said; “An obstacle is often an unrecognized opportunity”. Pakistan
with a population of 180 Million is the most abundant country in terms of natural
resources and Human resources as well. There is however a lack of direction. Today, six
months after the catastrophe that occurred throughout the region, we must find that
opportunity within the obstacle to make things better and bring about a change for the
good. There isn’t much any Government in the world could do to handle a calamity of
such intensity on its own, recently, flood affecting the areas of Queensland, Australia
show the same picture from the administrative point of view, even if we considered the
Australian Government more resourceful and economically sound than Pakistan’s. It is
for individuals like us to take personal responsibility and change one of the worst
nightmares in the country’s history into an opportunity that could bring the country back
on the right track, after all history tells us that it has always been countries that had faced
tremendous hardships have risen to new heights of glory.

I am an optimist and I believe this is a perfect opportunity for Pakistan to rebuild it self.
The rural areas of Pakistan were never organized in the first place; the maximum
productivity was never achieved as the country survived on the agricultural infrastructure
left by the British during the colonial period. The waterways, canals were ineffective in
water transfer and storage and each year millions of gallons were wasted. The floods
were also an eye-opener for the Government that now needs to quickly come up to a
decision regarding construction of Dams and water reservoirs. Had there been any during
the flood, the massive destruction could have been minimized to a larger extent. Another
key aspect to consider is the wastage of large workforce. In order to achieve magnitude
we must follow China’s lead and consider giving a direction to a massive workforce of
Pakistan that is either idle, jobless, or without sufficient training. Enabling masses will
not only strengthen country’s political and economic situation, but also strengthen the
society on a whole, the crime rate will fall and so will the security concerns, and once
again Pakistan could have all the foreign investment to strengthen the industries. The
mere fact that everything is inter-related to one another should be understood well by
both the rulers and the whole nation now. The time to stand up and take action is right
now, and if considerable measures are not taken, we may slide further down into slumps.
For the sake of Pakistan and its future, it is time to educate our nation on a whole with
extra emphasis on the youth that will form the shape of our nation in the future. We must
also understand the importance of taking initiatives and carrying out our jobs with utmost
honesty and dedication. We must understand that we have to take personal responsibility
and stop the blame game, we must understand that Pakistan is what makes us what we are
today, and I am hopeful the day we realize the importance of this nation and its potential,
we shall be able to create Quaid’s Pakistan and rise to heights of glory.