Floods in Pakistan Essay – 1000 Words
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]loods and droughts, both create havoc. The frequent droughts in some parts of the country due to lack of rain make the people and animals suffer a lot. On the other hand, excessive rains result in deluge and floods. Both the extreme states are undesirable as they cause a great suffering and loss of lives and material. In Pakistan, floods are an annual occurrence.
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The torrential and continuous monsoon rains give rise to floods which inundate fields, forests, villages and towns, and wash away river banks trees, crops and cattle in their fury.
“Many are the troubles of mankind.” Aeschylus
No doubt, most of the causes of the flood can be attributed to nature. Very heavy rainfall in the catchments area, siltation of river-beds, landslides in the mountains and hills, etc. are some of the main reasons for floods. But man’s contribution to the recurrence of floods is no less. The indiscriminate cutting of trees for timber, destruction of forests and grassland and greedy exploitation of the hills and mountains for minerals, etc, are also major factors which cause floods. Thus, droughts and floods are not only natural calamities, they are also manmade.[the_ad id=”17141″]
“Adversity is the first path to truth.” Lord Byron, Don Juan
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In the normal course, floods wash away the filth, dirt and excessive salt, and transport them to the sea. During high floods the rivers bring silt and alluvial soils and deposit them along the banks and the deltas. They make the most fertile lands. The Indus plains and the plains of the Ganga and their deltas are the most fertile parts of Indo-Pakistan. Logs and lumbered wood are floated down to low lands during flood and brought to sawmills. The floods are generally caused during the monsoon season. In Pakistan, floods feed the irrigation system and supply water to head-works round the year. This is the constructive aspect of floods.
But more than often, floods cause devastation on a large scale. They destroy both life and property. The worst affected people are those of poor and weaker sections of the society. Their small agricultural fields, huts and houses are destrಣ್oed. Floods snatch away their very means of livelihood. So, floods do not spare anyone, whether poor or wealthy. In flood-affected areas, standing crops, livestock, people, villages and towns are swept away. Houses, huts, bridges, rail lines and roads, etc. collapse like packs of cards. Power and electrical failures plunge entire areas in utter darkness. There is no drinking water, no food, no shelter during floods. And then there might be visitations of famine and epidemics, if proper measures are not taken immediately. Had there been no droughts and floods, Pakistan would have been a very prosperous country. The reason is that it is mainly an agricultural country and more than 70% of its population depends on it.
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Every calamity is a spur and valuable hint. Ralph Waldo, Fate
Unfortunately for Pakistan, floods are an annual feature and so far we have not been able to tame our mighty rivers and solve the problem of floods. During floods, a huge amount of funds and money is required to start.relief and rescue medicine are set up. Liberal loans and subsidies are granted to the affectees. Food supplies are also dropped from the aeroplanes for the marooned people. They are rescued by boats and sometimes by helicopters. Many people lose their lives for want of quick, timely and effective rescue operation. The quick and proper disposal of dead bodies and carcasses also becomes a problem.
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[the_ad id=”17142″]To minimise the recurrence of floods, certain, firm, effective and proven steps should be taken. These measures can be divided into long-term and short-term ones. In the opinion of the experts, afforestation on a vast scale in the catchments areas and on the planks and slopes of the hills and mountains is an effective measure to check floods. Plantation of trees on a mass scale in these areas will surely help to check landslides, siltation of the river beds and erosion of the soil, which are some of the main causes of flood.
“Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.” Shakespeare, The Tempest
The destruction of forests and cutting of trees for timber and fuel should be effectively banned. Similarly, destruction of hills and mountains for stones and minerals should be immediately stopped. Erection of small irrigation dams and ponds at various points of advantage may also help in this regard. Inter-linking of rivers and waterways can prove another effective measure to tackle floods. It would help in taking excess of water to the regions where there is shortage of rain and water.
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The floods in 1992 were the worst calamity and curse for the people of the Punjab and Sindh. They left a trail of suffering, irreparable loss, misery, poverty and erosion of valuable soil. The same damage was done by the recent floods of 2014, but comparatively on a large scale. Floods also hit the national economy adversely. Most people think them to be visitation of the wrath of God.
Floods in Pakistan Essay – 5000 Words
Time and tide wait for none. Floods are as old as mankind. The story of the Great Deluge on the followers of Noah (As) has been related in the holy scriptures. Floods are natural phenomena. They may be caused due to excessive rains or melting of snow at the sources of rivers. People living in river plains are often afflicted with floods during the rainy season. Floods are both creator and destroyer China, Bharat and Pakistan are usually scourged with devastating floods.
The Indus and its tributaries Ravi, Chenab Sutlug and Bias run their courses through Pakistan. The flat areas in the Punjab and Sindh often bear the fury of floods. Low floods are caused during summers due to the melting of the snow at the source of the Indus. Pakistan, by the grace of God, has the biggest canal irrigation system in the world. These floods have made the canal perpetual. [the_ad id=”17150″]
In the normal course, floods wash away the filth; dirt and excess salts and transport them to the sea. During high floods, the rivers bring silt and alluvial soils and deposit them along the banks and the deltas. They make the most fertile lands. The Indus plain and the plain of the Ganges and their deltas are the most fertile parts of Indo-Pakistan. Logs and lumbered wood are floated down to low lands during floods and brought toʻsaw mills. The floods are generally caused during the monsoon season. In Pakistan, floods feed the irrigation system and supply water to head-works round the year. This is the creative aspect of floods.
But more than often, floods are destructive and even devastating. They play havoc with human life and property. The recent floods (1992) were the worst calamity and curse for the people of Punjab and Sindh. The government created a special P.M’s Relief Fund to meet the challenge. They also hit the national economy adversely. In Pakistan, floods are considered national hazards. The conservative think them to be a visitation of wrath of God.
The floods have proved very destructive and calamitous during recent years. Hundreds of valuable human lives have been lost in floods. Villages, houses, and live-stock have been washed away. Standing crops worth crores of rupees have been submerged and destroyed. Dams, bridges, road and railway tracks have been broken and washed away. It is true that time and tide wait for none. Their force and fury is so great and terrifying that all efforts and measures to save human life and property are rendered useless and helpless. They silt the beds of the canals and pose an immense danger to the barrages and dams. The people raise their hands in prayers and beg Allah for mercy.
In Pakistan, floods are very common due to indifferent rains. They defy all preventive measures. The Indus and its tributaries overflow their banks during rains. They erode the banks and inundate the canals. Other miseries and diseases spread in their wake. The standing waters create the grave problems of water logging and salinity that pose severe problems for the agriculturists and the government.
In spite of scientific progress and man’s command over the forces of nature, he is helpless in facing the natural calamities. He dwindles into a dwarf before the gigantic forces. Nature is often hostile to man. Indeed, God punishes a man in many ways. So proves the Book of God.