Paksitan Vs. Haiti

Dec 072010

‘GOOD’s guide to Pakistan v Haiti – which disaster got more aid?’- The Guardian

There continues to be much debate about why the response to Pakistan’s floods was slow and unincredible compared with the response to Haiti’s earthquake. One can speculate on the combination of factors that played a part. One writer, however, provides the following piercing insight:

“Humanitarians have long struggled with this paradox… The number of dead, along with the swiftness and drama of their demise, trumps almost any amount of agony among those who survive a disaster, particularly a creeping one”

- ‘The special pain of a slow disaster’, The New York Times, 10/11/2010

News Picks

After Pakistan's floods, new worries about debt and land rights : Displaced persons in Sindh are eager to return to their homes and protect themselves against possible land disputes- Oxfam International
AIDING THE FLOOD-HIT – Construction of 13 model villages to start from 25th: CM : the construction work of more than 1500 houses in these villages will be completed by March 30 and all necessary facilities will be made available by May 31- Pakistan Today 7/1/11
Farmers sceptical of official claims on canal repair : Farmers and agriculturists have cast serious doubts over official claims that flood-ravaged irrigation infrastructure will be repaired to a great extent to ensure supply of water for Kharif crops next year- Dawn 30/12/10
Floodwater still surrounding town : The residents of Faridabad and its surrounding villages are struggling to deal with the havoc wreaked by the floods five months on. Their day to day lives remain disrupted by the 8 feet deep floodwaters that still surround the town- Dawn 22/12/10
GB flood-hit people get compensation : Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Syed Mehdi Shah has said that survey of destroyed infrastructure in flood-hit areas has been completed and the affected people will soon start getting compensations as per mechanism adopted in other provinces- Dawn 4/1/11
Giving Flood Survivors a Voice : There is an imperative to communicate with flood-affected communities and to include them in the relief and reconstruction process- ReliefWeb
International Medical Corps Teams Treating Victims of Floods in Pakistan International Medical Corps continues to support displaced people through 96 medical teams serving the hardest flood hit areas. 20/01/11
Mitchell: helping 200,000 children get back to school in Pakistan : …the UK will help 200,000 children return to education in Pakistan, by repairing 1,500 schools damaged by the recent floods and providing 200 temporary facilities… across Sindh and the Punjab- ReliefWeb 15/12/10
Pakistan flood aid 'unspent and mismanaged' : A top Pakistani official said “malaise” at the heart of government was to blame for inaction, as thousands of families remain camped out on roadsides in makeshift tents- Dawn
Pakistan floods: Forgotten…but not gone : ‘the flood…might have disappeared from our TV screens, but it is still moving. What survived the flood will be destroyed by our collective lack of imagination and our shrinking attention span’- The Guardian
Six months into the floods: Resetting Pakistan’s priorities through reconstruction : Six months into the floods, the disaster is not over and many people still need humanitarian assistance- OxfamInternational 26/1/11
The special pain of a slow disaster : ‘Donors use the number of deaths as a barometer with disasters…When you have a slow-onset disaster, like the flooding in Pakistan… you don’t have that same shock value’- The New York Times
UNDP Match Against Poverty Raises Over US$500,000 for Haiti, Pakistan More than 30 international football players from top teams around the world participated in the 8th Match Against Poverty in Greece on December 14, donating 70% of total proceeds to Pakistan 8/02/11
Women and Emergencies : In an emergency more so than ever, women tend to be worst affected…An essential lifeline to aid, one major challenge women have faced is a lack of identification cards- Oxfam Blog 9/11/10

2012