PFF Daily flood update Report 25th August

Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF)

PFF Daily Flood Update Report Aug25
PFF Team visits Shahdadkot Bund
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) team led by Manager Program Hussain Jarwar and Manager Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Project Younus Marri visited Shahdadkot on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 to witness the intensity of the flood water flowing from there and arrangements made by the government, in terms of strengthening protective bund. PFF officials wanted to see how their volunteers operating boats and taking part in rescue and evacuation process in the area are performing. PFF team was alert, bringing people out of their far off villages in the flood water through boats. Wearing badges, caps with particular PFF flag on their boats and banners displayed near there, PFF team was working in close collaboration with local administration and legislators.
Situation at Embankment
Makeshift embankment of Shahdadkot was the attractive place for both Muslims and Hindu families sitting at different points with their holy books they were praying for stoppage of the flood water and protection of the bund. Hundreds of families living in the town and the vicinity were in panic, as flood has caused widely displacement in the area. Tractor trolleys, pickups and donkey carts were seen easy means for the people of different status migrating to different directions in fear. Though the children were enjoying by swimming in the flood water near there, their parents were able to narrate the pain of displacement.
Displaced families
Travelling from Shikarpur to much affected Shahdadkot somebody can see how the flood affected families were living in apathetic conditions along the roadside. Hardly few lucky families could find shelters at government schools and other buildings while majority of the families, who have brought livestock with themselves were living in the open, without proper shelter. These people were rescued from catchment areas of the river. They have left their houses and crops back and safely came out. All the houses are said to have collapsed and crops destroyed. Nobody can imagine yet about their rehabilitation and how they will survive in a situation, when they have lost each and everything behind in the devastated flood.
Community’s Response to Strengthen Embankment
The horrible situation was witnessed outside the Shahdadkot Town where the flood water was flowing along the makeshift bund, built by the community with the help of government departments’ provided machinery. Majority of the families have almost left the city and travelled to Karachi and some shifted to Larkana neighbourhoods. The streets were looking deserted in the always flourishing town. People have left shops shut and houses empty, traveled to safer places, as fears are still there that the flood water may inundate the city. The most panic situation was that now the people, who could not leave their homes yet, are living in fear and tense after some burglary and dacoity incidents have been reported in the recent days.
Despite this the only hope observed while visiting the area was the spirit among the people working to strengthen the protective bund to stop water and save the city. Hundreds of people were busy, filling bags with sand, fixing sticks and stones to make the bund strengthened. People present there said they have been there for the last few days staying alert in fears.
Health Facilities
Due to widely displacement from the area there was no clinic and basic health center visible in the entire neighbourhoods to provide the first aid to the flood affected families, scattered in the area. Government has shut up offices or shifted some to Larkana and operating from there. Police have shifted prisoners to Larkana city.
The government figure shows that more than 0.5 million houses have been damaged, completely or partially from Kashmore to tail end Thatta districts.
PFF’s Visibility
It was obvious that there was only organization working on the humanitarian basis in the flood affected area which has boats operating in Kashmore, Shahdadkot, Jamshoro and Thatta districts. It was observed that not only its role was acknowledged by the government officials, DCO, local administration, army personnel, the parliamentarians approached PFF to seek help resuce their people stranded in many areas in Shahdadkot, Shikarpur And Jacobabad districts.
PFF Social Organiser and activist Hussain Bux Meerani, monitoring boats operating there for rescue and evacuation of the people, standing along the embankment said the water flowing was coming from the River straight after breaching of Torhi embankment and may hit Qubo Saeed Khan town, which is already facing water pressure coming from hill torrents of Balochistan province. He said at least 18km of the main road linking to neighbouring province of Balochistan has been damaged badly in the over flowing flood water.
PFF has contributed to rescue around 45 families out of total escued 30,000 people from 39 villages near Shahdadkot. PFF volunteers bring these people to embankment and then government officials take them to relief camps or travelling to different areas themselves.
PFF Meeting
PFF team leaders in a meeting held in Shahdadkot reviewed the situation, their rescue and relief work and decided to bring few boats from Kashmor to Shahdadkot to help the people. The meeting observed that there was much pressure on the teams operating in flood affected areas to provide more boats, which the organization could not arrange instantly.
Relief Camps Scenario
PFF team was informed that there were seven main camps, accommodating around 100 people each in the government schools, where hardly 1000 families could be living, while majority of families have shifted to safer places, Karachi and Larkana. PFF activists said the families still stranded in the water are compelled to drink contaminated water and falling ill. Boat operators say they while helping the people, bringing them to boats, themselves suffer from skin diseases. The flood water has become most injurious to health of volunteers.
Agriculturists’ Reading
Agriculturists say the land destroyed by the flood needs at least ten years to make it usable. The area under flood near Shahdadkot is declared paddy-cultivation and standing crops have been destroyed. The paddy crop normally needs three inch water and it could be destroyed if it receives more than nine inch. But presently there is eight feet water now in the flooded area.
Shahdadkot is Flood prone
The tropical and climatic trends show that Shahdadkot is prone to flood from katcha area. The area has also experienced devastated flood in 1994—95 and the last one in year 2007, caused breaching of the protective bunds from different points. There were 14 vulnerable points the government had already declared.
PFF work in media
BBC London (English) called PFF Manager Program Hussain Jarwar for taking his telephonic interview regarding the contribution of PFF to rescue and relief work through operating boats in different flood affected areas of Sindh province. PFF Manager Program portrayed the situation how they faced difficulties while helping the people in tough and risky areas. Besides this, local and national media also highlights the rescue and relief work being done by the PFF in different areas from kashmore to tail end Thatta districts. PFF media team sitting at its Secretariat in Ibrahim Hydri, Karachi is trying to keep the print and electronic media updates regarding its work.
Achievements
? PFF team received acknowledgement by community as well as government officials because it is playing inspiring role in the flood affected area
? PFF was only humanitarian organization working in disaster-hit areas with boats to help the people
? Community credited the PFF team coming for their rescue in far off areas
? District administrations itself acknowledged the contribution of PFF to the rescue and relief work

Constraints
? PFF team was asked by military personnel impolitely to put out its organisations’ flag from the boat being used in rescue work
? PFF team, despite its work was discouraged by certain government agency people at different areas
? PFF shared these problems with government officials including DCOs but to no avail
Future Strategy
? PFF plans to bring some boats from Kashmor to Shahdadkot to evacuate the people still stranded in different areas
? PFF has planned to make relief and rescue work more efficient