Islamabad: Addressing the National Assembly, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said that the recent devastating floods in the country are not a natural disaster but the result of human negligence and greed. According to him, construction and encroachments on the banks of rain drains and rivers in Sialkot blocked the paths of nature, due to which settlements and houses were washed away.
He said that the public is deceived by only “make-up” on the roads and rosy pictures are posted on social media, but the real situation has been exposed by the public themselves. According to him, the political elite themselves are involved in encroachments and illegal constructions, then what can be expected from the people?
Khawaja Asif said that this is the fourth major flood in the last fourteen years, but till date no government has taken serious steps against encroachments on waterways. He warned that if small dams are not built in time, the same disaster will be repeated every year.
He added that hotels and housing societies have been built on waterways from Swat to Punjab. When natural channels are blocked, the water pressure increases many times after rain and cities are submerged. According to him, practical steps are urgently needed to save the water of Sutlej and Ravi.
It is a fact that Pakistan relies on international aid every time instead of managing natural disasters. If the political leadership does not admit its shortcomings and take practical steps, the floods will prove to be more destructive in the future.
