The shaky grounds and raging rivers of Pakistan: A problem bigger than politics

Pakistan is currently facing the worst flooding of its entire history. It is mainly caused by heavier than usual monsoon rains and melting glaciers, roots of which are linked to climate change. In May and June, many parts of the country experienced record-setting back-to-back heat waves, creating a strong thermal low resulting in more than usual rains and also triggering glacial flooding in Gilgit-Baltistan. According to the latest estimate, more than 1500 people (including 530 children) have died, and an additional 12,850 have been injured since June. Currently, 546,288 people are forced to live in temporary shelters because of these floods. With changing weather conditions, lack of clean drinking water, and medical facilities, their difficulties are being further aggravated by an upsurge of waterborne diseases (diarrhea, cholera, dengue, and malaria) and skin infections. So far, the government has estimated an economic loss of US$ 40 billion, affecting around 33 million people across the country.

It is not the first time the country has been hit by a devastating disaster of this massive scale. We have a history of riverine and urban flooding, earthquakes, droughts, and heatwaves. One could think that these tragic experiences might have resulted in huge social reformations in terms of legislation, development of emergency relief and disaster preparedness strategies, national action plans for enforcement of construction bylaws, early warning systems, improvement of building standards, etc., on an emergency basis. After all, behind every major historical development pertaining to human safety, wellbeing, and social loss, we find a major disaster as a primary motivation. Unfortunately, this has not been the case with us, or, to say the least, we are not doing enough.?

When the Kashmir earthquake struck on 8th October 2005, it didn’t differentiate among us. Without any warning, it blindly shattered the whole northern part of the nation, turning thousands of small homes and schools into rubble. It didn’t care whether the affecting people were working in their offices or sleeping in their homes – or where they were of one origin, cast, language, or the other – or whether they were subscribing to this idea or that idea. Those who were sleeping, never woke up – those working in offices, couldn’t leave – those who fell, never stood again. In a matter of few seconds, a terrible failure of buildings rendered more than half a million homeless survivors besides 85,000 deaths. The quake also triggered massive landslides that buried entire towns. We all still remember those painful sights, hoping not to see such a day again in our lives.

What does it take to build a disaster-resilient nation? What should be our short- and long-term goals to achieve a sustainable and safe society for our next generations? How can we defeat these disasters? I am an academic working in the field of earthquakes and their effects on buildings and structures. I work with students, researchers and practicing engineers to understand why buildings fail during earthquakes, and what it requires to make them more resilient. While seeing me doing what I do for a living, I am often asked these questions. Well, we already have examples of nations who, to some extent, have achieved success and have significantly reduced social and economic loss from disasters. Recent technological advancements and research have resulted in many new, more reliable, and safer infrastructural solutions in many developed countries. We may need to fight on several fronts. The following figure names a few.?

Perhaps, the most important front to focus on are the governmental initiatives for disaster preparedness and mitigation, emergency response task forces, rescue agencies and law enforcement. A technically equipped, well-managed, integrated, and transparent action plan driven by a sincere desire and motivation to achieve disaster resilience is the key to accomplish our goals. Right from the topmost level up to the local community level, there is a lot to learn from the vision and targets set by various international emergency management agencies across the globe.?The role of private sector and civil society is also equally important. The implications of potential efforts in private sector would also be of significant importance. The role of the educated class in creating an overall awareness and suitable environment for conducting capacity-building programs in less-developed communities cannot be undermined.

As an academic, I often listen to voices raising the issues related to the industry-academia gap that might be hindering the technological growth in varying degrees. Perhaps, no industry needs to reduce this gap more than the construction industry and corresponding academia. Compare the practice and theory in this case, and you will find them on two different islands. The initiatives to narrow this gap should be encouraged from both sides. Research, without applicability, is an incomplete enterprise. Similarly, the practice is mostly confined to ill-informed procedures following prescriptive recipes, with little or no insight into the disaster-resilient design of infrastructure. Imagine how deep the effects of industry-academia collaboration may go. How easy it would be to make available the basic information about preemptive measures, safety actions, and emergency relief actions (before, during, and after a disaster) to school teachers, graduate-level students, public sector offices, and the general public. How easy it would be for us to include lessons about disaster safety in the school curriculum and raise a more aware and resilient generation.

No matter in what capacity we work, let’s keep on asking ourselves the big question. How long will it take for our efforts and contributions to result in a strong realization of disaster risk among common people – a realization that the buildings they build after a lifelong economic struggle can become the token of their deaths. Without proper awareness and safety considerations, we may be living in our tombs.