Abstract:
From the majestic Himalayan and Karakorum mountain ranges the
Indus river winds down the plains of Pakistan for nearly a thousand miles
to the Arabian sea. The banks of this river have been home to one of the
world's oldest and greatest civilisations. The mighty river has been the
country's lifeblood, animating much of its culture and history and helping
to shape a distinctly Pakistani identity.
In the summer of 2010 it was the fury of the Indus river that unleashed
itself on the country with devastating consequences. Engorged by heavy
monsoon rain, the river system over-flooded and deluged large swathes of
Pakistan-as much as a fifth of its land area-causing large-scale destruction and
displacement. Twenty million people were affected by this calamity. And this
at a time when Pakistan was struggling to cope with economic and security
crises and reeling from the blowback of nine years of war in neighbouring
Afghanistan that started with the US- led military intervention in 2001.
The floods exposed a paradox that lies at the heart of Pakistan's
pre-dicament today: that of a weak state and a strong society. As the
government machinery foundered in responding to the situation, civil society,
the business community, ordinary citizens and even the media, organised
efforts to help the flood victims. The anaemic official responsenotwithstanding the Army's effective rescue and relief efforts- contrasted
sharply with the heroic actions taken by private charities and local
communities
