Post Floods & Inland Waterway Development

Flood waters have not completely receded  in the province of Sindh and flood rehabilitation efforts need to be intensified in terms of flood management, building protective dykes, rebuilding infrastructure, excavation and dredging of canals and initiating Inland Waterways for Cruise and Freight with logistic nodes along the length of Pakistan’s rivers. There is a likelihood that at the time of the next monsoon the devastation may reoccur as drainage canals are not fully functional yet. Rehabilitation has two aspects with one aspect being extending immediate aid to the people affected and displaced by the flood waters which is a short term solution . The other aspect is rebuilding the damaged infrastructure  and upgrading the rail track, inland waterways and supporting services as well .

Food Security Compromised

The food security of Pakistan may be severely compromised as huge swathes of agricultural areas have been inundated.Despite being a predominately agricultural economy Pakistan has in the last few years started to import wheat worth approximately $ 2 billion annually. Inland Waterways not only are an alternative mode of transportation  but are also cheaper in terms of logistics and freight costs ,  environmentally friendly and effective in reducing the carbon footprint. As Pakistan is highly dependent on imported hydrocarbons the energy security of Pakistan would be bolstered by maintaining LPG stocks along the inland waterways. The seaports of Karachi can be utilised to divert freight and transit trade from the Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan as the cost of freight will be reduced by a third compared to the existing logistics and shipping routes.India has commenced work on developing its Inland Waterways with its ports along the rivers being complemented by rail access. The Auditor General of Pakistan informed Parliaments Public Accounts Committee that billions of Benazir Income Support Programme had been misappropriated as revealed through financial audit of the Relief Fund placed at the disposal of Poverty Alleviation Fund and Akhuwat Microfinance. The Parliamentary Committe enquired as to the rules according to which Cash transfers were made to official functionaries meant for flood-affectes. Perks were provided to officials out of the portion of multilateral donor agencies.In order to obtain funding for Inland Waterway development in Pakistan from multilateral and donor agencies a sustainable ,transparent and fool proof mechanism would need to be established to instill confidence in donors that funds would be properly utilised for the purpose for which they are provided .

By Nadir Mumtaz