It is not possible to avoid natural calamities, but with the right set of policies and practices, it is always possible to stop these calamities from turning into human disasters. The same can be said about the tragedy in Tharparkar, where despite low rainfall, famine and loss of cattle could have been avoided. Thar has remained a focus of policymakers for quite some time now, but that attention pertained to its coal reserves. This time, the desert is in global headlines because of chronic food insecurity and malnutrition.
I am using the word chronic very responsibly. Readers may recall a report by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and World Food Program (WFP), titled ‘State of Rural Food Insecurity in Pakistan 2003’. Tharparkar was the most food-insecure district of Pakistan at that time. Another SDPI report in 2009-10 said Thar was one of the most food-insecure areas of Pakistan and the most food-insecure area in Sindh. The National Nutrition Survey of 2011 declared Sindh as the most malnourished province of Pakistan, and Thar was a major contributor to the malnourishment figures in Sindh. The situation has not changed much, and as per a forthcoming report by the SDPI titled ‘State of Food Security 2013’, Thar is yet again one of the most caloric-deficit and malnourished regions of Pakistan.
[quote]A drought was declared only in March. By then, Thar was already hit by famine and pneumonia[/quote]
Despite the fact that Thar was the constituency of a chief minister (Arbab Ghulam Rahim) and a prime minister (Shaukat Aziz), there is no letup for Thari voters. One should not forget that Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi has a large number of spiritual followers in the area, which has most recently been managed by the Makhdooms of Hala. No Makhdoom could undo the curse on Thar.
Until recently, the Revenue Department used to declare Thar a calamity-hit area if it did not receive 300mm of rain by 15th August. In 2013, Thar received only 5-7% of this amount. There were no subsequent rains in September, October and November. The cattle started dying, which is a clear indication of drought, but there was institutional confusion. Who would declare a drought? There is a National Disaster Management Authority to tackle disasters. It is supported by Provincial Disaster Management Authorities. There is a Provincial Relief Ministry (run by another Makhdoom until recently), the Provincial Health Department, the Provincial Food Department, and the district administration. Each one of these institutions operates (if at all) in their own silos, often competing and more often neglecting the existence of other institutions. Thus the drought was declared only in March, and that too after the media started highlighting the plight of Thar, which was hit by drought, famine, and pneumonia by then. The relief could not be mobilized until a blame game between the federal government and the provincial government started. Apparently, the chief minister’s direction for the release of wheat in the first week of March could not be complied with because the district administration had defaulted on previous payments to carriage contractors.
Lack of fodder and water is the primary cause of death among livestock in dry months. The death of cattle negatively affects the already-poor food supply and aggravates malnourishment, which in turn reduces the immunity of the inhabitants. In this context, severe winters and a lack of health facilities in Thar desert leads to pneumonia – a disease that can be easily controlled through vaccination. Fortunately, there are no incidents of Taliban attacking vaccinating teams in that part of Pakistan.
Keeping in view the prevailing poverty in Thar, I am assuming that a majority of households should be BISP beneficiaries. Poverty score card data could have been easily used to assess the requirements of pneumonia vaccination and where to administer it. Vaccination is not a response to food insecurity, but would have saved many precious lives – a policy-practice response to natural calamity.
Unfortunately, a majority of the population of Thar is excluded and marginalized by virtue of being a religious minority. There is no political will at the top and people are too excluded to get their demands heard. Where would they have gone to report their miseries? The elected MPA from Thar, former chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, does not attend Sindh Assembly sessions, the district administration is out of reach, and nongovernmental organizations are overburdened and fatigued. Perhaps things would have been slightly different if there were an elected local government. However, our political parties are too insecure to organize local government elections.
Now that Thar is finally a focus of attention, I hope the Prime Ministers’ promised 1 billion will be released very soon. But what can be done to avoid such a situation in future? Amirtya Sen once said that there is no apolitical famine. We need political wisdom to tackle this tragic situation. Politicization of such events will not bring any relief to the survivors. Political wisdom requires both long term and short term measures at macro and meso levels.
First thing first – monitoring and overseeing the relief effort may be a noble deed but you will suffer a major blow from institutional chaos. The Sindh Government/NDMA/PDMA should immediately mobilize local support groups who may ensure the delivery of relief items beyond district Head Quarters.
Second, the poverty score card data should be utilized to identify the most vulnerable areas and their access to relief should be ensured. Free pneumonia vaccination should be part of the health protocol in Mirpur Khas Division. The PPP government had taken the initiative of micro-health insurance (MHI) for BISP beneficiaries. The Sindh government should use MHI to control the spread of pneumonia through public-private partnership.
Thirdly, the Sindh government should pilot the “Zero Hunger Pakistan Program”, an initiative launched by the then PM Gilani, to provide mid-day school meals at public schools in Thar. The plan also envisaged a supply of ready to use fortified food for breast feeding mothers and pregnant women in these districts. The initiative could never take off in PPP’s era, but the Sindh government should use this occasion to implement the policies that the PPP federal government could not implement due to certain constraints.
Fourthly, the Provincial Relief Department should ensure timely distribution of food and feed stocks in case of future droughts.
The federal government would have to play a proactive role to fulfil its obligations under article 38(d) of the constitution of Pakistan, which says, “The state shall provide basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, housing, education and medical relief for all such citizens, irrespective of sex, caste, creed or race, as are permanently or temporarily unable to earn their livelihood on account of infirmity, sickness or unemployment”. The plight of Thar reveals that the federal government failed to fulfil its constitutional obligations.
Last but not the least, I would request the vibrant media to keep on highlighting the plight of Thar, because there is fear that very soon the focus of attention may move to another, possibly bigger, disaster.
Dr Suleri heads Sustainable Development Policy Institute and may be contacted at Suleri@spdi.org
I am using the word chronic very responsibly. Readers may recall a report by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and World Food Program (WFP), titled ‘State of Rural Food Insecurity in Pakistan 2003’. Tharparkar was the most food-insecure district of Pakistan at that time. Another SDPI report in 2009-10 said Thar was one of the most food-insecure areas of Pakistan and the most food-insecure area in Sindh. The National Nutrition Survey of 2011 declared Sindh as the most malnourished province of Pakistan, and Thar was a major contributor to the malnourishment figures in Sindh. The situation has not changed much, and as per a forthcoming report by the SDPI titled ‘State of Food Security 2013’, Thar is yet again one of the most caloric-deficit and malnourished regions of Pakistan.
[quote]A drought was declared only in March. By then, Thar was already hit by famine and pneumonia[/quote]
Despite the fact that Thar was the constituency of a chief minister (Arbab Ghulam Rahim) and a prime minister (Shaukat Aziz), there is no letup for Thari voters. One should not forget that Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi has a large number of spiritual followers in the area, which has most recently been managed by the Makhdooms of Hala. No Makhdoom could undo the curse on Thar.
Until recently, the Revenue Department used to declare Thar a calamity-hit area if it did not receive 300mm of rain by 15th August. In 2013, Thar received only 5-7% of this amount. There were no subsequent rains in September, October and November. The cattle started dying, which is a clear indication of drought, but there was institutional confusion. Who would declare a drought? There is a National Disaster Management Authority to tackle disasters. It is supported by Provincial Disaster Management Authorities. There is a Provincial Relief Ministry (run by another Makhdoom until recently), the Provincial Health Department, the Provincial Food Department, and the district administration. Each one of these institutions operates (if at all) in their own silos, often competing and more often neglecting the existence of other institutions. Thus the drought was declared only in March, and that too after the media started highlighting the plight of Thar, which was hit by drought, famine, and pneumonia by then. The relief could not be mobilized until a blame game between the federal government and the provincial government started. Apparently, the chief minister’s direction for the release of wheat in the first week of March could not be complied with because the district administration had defaulted on previous payments to carriage contractors.
Lack of fodder and water is the primary cause of death among livestock in dry months. The death of cattle negatively affects the already-poor food supply and aggravates malnourishment, which in turn reduces the immunity of the inhabitants. In this context, severe winters and a lack of health facilities in Thar desert leads to pneumonia – a disease that can be easily controlled through vaccination. Fortunately, there are no incidents of Taliban attacking vaccinating teams in that part of Pakistan.
Keeping in view the prevailing poverty in Thar, I am assuming that a majority of households should be BISP beneficiaries. Poverty score card data could have been easily used to assess the requirements of pneumonia vaccination and where to administer it. Vaccination is not a response to food insecurity, but would have saved many precious lives – a policy-practice response to natural calamity.
Unfortunately, a majority of the population of Thar is excluded and marginalized by virtue of being a religious minority. There is no political will at the top and people are too excluded to get their demands heard. Where would they have gone to report their miseries? The elected MPA from Thar, former chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, does not attend Sindh Assembly sessions, the district administration is out of reach, and nongovernmental organizations are overburdened and fatigued. Perhaps things would have been slightly different if there were an elected local government. However, our political parties are too insecure to organize local government elections.
Now that Thar is finally a focus of attention, I hope the Prime Ministers’ promised 1 billion will be released very soon. But what can be done to avoid such a situation in future? Amirtya Sen once said that there is no apolitical famine. We need political wisdom to tackle this tragic situation. Politicization of such events will not bring any relief to the survivors. Political wisdom requires both long term and short term measures at macro and meso levels.
First thing first – monitoring and overseeing the relief effort may be a noble deed but you will suffer a major blow from institutional chaos. The Sindh Government/NDMA/PDMA should immediately mobilize local support groups who may ensure the delivery of relief items beyond district Head Quarters.
Second, the poverty score card data should be utilized to identify the most vulnerable areas and their access to relief should be ensured. Free pneumonia vaccination should be part of the health protocol in Mirpur Khas Division. The PPP government had taken the initiative of micro-health insurance (MHI) for BISP beneficiaries. The Sindh government should use MHI to control the spread of pneumonia through public-private partnership.
Thirdly, the Sindh government should pilot the “Zero Hunger Pakistan Program”, an initiative launched by the then PM Gilani, to provide mid-day school meals at public schools in Thar. The plan also envisaged a supply of ready to use fortified food for breast feeding mothers and pregnant women in these districts. The initiative could never take off in PPP’s era, but the Sindh government should use this occasion to implement the policies that the PPP federal government could not implement due to certain constraints.
Fourthly, the Provincial Relief Department should ensure timely distribution of food and feed stocks in case of future droughts.
The federal government would have to play a proactive role to fulfil its obligations under article 38(d) of the constitution of Pakistan, which says, “The state shall provide basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, housing, education and medical relief for all such citizens, irrespective of sex, caste, creed or race, as are permanently or temporarily unable to earn their livelihood on account of infirmity, sickness or unemployment”. The plight of Thar reveals that the federal government failed to fulfil its constitutional obligations.
Last but not the least, I would request the vibrant media to keep on highlighting the plight of Thar, because there is fear that very soon the focus of attention may move to another, possibly bigger, disaster.
Dr Suleri heads Sustainable Development Policy Institute and may be contacted at Suleri@spdi.org