Flood commission report: implement recommendations, Supreme Court tells government

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the federal and provincial governments to implement the recommendations of the recently issued Flood Commission report in letter and spirit. The apex court also directed the concerned provincial chief secretaries to take strict action against responsible and submit fortnightly report to the court.
A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Tariq Parvez and Justice Amir Hani Muslim observed while passing order in a constitutional petition on consequences of the devastation caused by floods that hit Pakistan in July and August 2010.
The recommendations were made in the aftermath of floods which seems to be a permanent feature and if proper institutional arrangements were not made to plug the loopholes the damage would be manifold in future. The report pointed out that the expansion of flood early warning system, flood mitigation, motorways/highways and abolishing the encroachments from the flood-affected vicinities is a must to avert the situation.
The report says in its recommendation that there must be an expansion of radar coverage to the whole country whereas establishing a co-ordinating mechanism with Word Meteorology Organisation (WMO) and the Saarc countries for accessing/sharing information on early weather warning was mandatory. The reasons of major damage should be addressed, adding that due to lack of maintenance and repair of river banks, canals, and obstruction by major highways/motorways constructed by the Irrigation department and the National Highway Authority (NHA) and others across the country damages took place, the report maintained.
The recommendations added that most damage could have been averted if strategically located escape points, such as Raini Canal, were available at barrages, bunds and motorways/highways. Adequate systems could be put in place providing for a consultative plan for maintenance of bunds through assured funding, if necessary, by generating funds from water users as was offered by farmers in KP. Provision for pre-designated breaches at barrages, bunds and motorways/highways could be provided after conducting a detail survey and preparing feasibility reports.
The report recommends that motorway virtually acted like a "bund" obstructing the natural course of water flows in the area. The bed of river Kabul, upstream and downstream of the main Kabul river bridge, has silted up to an alarming level which has decreased the waterway and poses a serious threat of out-flanking and over-topping of this vitally important structure during floods.
Unfortunately, the local and provincial governments have themselves indulged in encouraging illegal acts promoting encroachments. Unauthorised and technically unsound public works have been executed by local authorities, it further revealed. In the light of the report Pakistan's current water storage capacity was limited to 10-15 percent of annual availability whereas rest flows to the Arabian Sea.