he scenes of the ongoing floods in Pakistan are devastating. Thousands have died, the livelihoods and lives of many other Pakistanis have been ruined, and millions of homes have been destroyed. An area the size of Colorado is under water and the relief and recovery effort could cost more than $10 billion. This is a climate-related disaster—of that there is no doubt—but the real problem at the heart of this devastation is corruption, not rainwater.
As Mansoor Raza recently pointed out: “hazards are natural, disasters are not.” The Pakistani government has demonstrated time and again that it is unable to prepare for or handle its response to climate change with integrity, despite repeated opportunities to learn lessons. After the devastating earthquakes in northern Pakistan in 2005, the reconstruction authority mishandled billions of dollars meant for rebuilding schools. Likewise, after previous cataclysmic floods in 2010, the National Disaster Response Authority issued a long report about lessons to be learned on everything from capacity development to planning to response- very few of which have been translated into practice.
Unauthorized construction, illegal changes in land use, and deforestation in flood-prone areas have exacerbated risks of flooding in the country. Additionally, large-scale exploitation of natural resources and rapacious capitalism by a small elite have undermined environmental sustainability. Uncontrolled population growth means more and more people live in flood-prone areas. Provincial irrigation departments have misused and misdirected funds meant for flood protection. More prosaic issues—like the lack of maintenance of canals and waterways by local governments—have further hampered water flows.
All of these issues are at some level caused by corruption and a lack of accountability of those in power. Pakistan’s social contract has been torn apart to the point that, despite the fact that the country has faced more than 20 floods in its 75-year history, there is still very little political will or incentive for decision-makers to be responsible to citizens for disaster management efforts. Pakistan is an old-boys club dominated by men. This perpetuates patronage and inequality. The fact that none of the senior management of the Federal Flood Commission are female, for example, bodes poorly for Pakistani women that are inevitably the most impacted by disasters.
As has been in the case after past disasters, the country is now turning to the military to provide relief as it is the only institution that has the capacity to meaningfully organize and deliver services—something that only entrenches the role of the army in political life. While necessary in the short-term, in the long-run this will perpetuate Pakistan’s political dysfunction and undermines Pakistani democracy. It is an open secret that the military top brass remain the arbiters of political power, which has been a key driver of political dysfunction since independence.
Effective structures for coordination between federal, provincial, and community disaster management bodies are essential as are clear rules and procedures for aligning international aid. Countries like Costa Rica have done this well. Provisions to ensure the transparency of procurement and contracting of goods and services are paramount to avoid price gouging and corruption. Transparency of data related to budgets and spending so that Pakistani citizens can “follow the money” is also critical—billions of dollars are now flowing into systems that suffers from a lack of checks and balances. Mexico City and the Philippines have succeeded in this in the past. Additionally, all government and aid agencies in Pakistan should commit now to full and complete audits of all flood related funding.
Planning with local civil society groups that truly understand the contexts, languages, and dynamics in communities that can co-create solutions to problems quickly is also essential. Groups like Alkhidmat Foundation, Akhuwat and The Citizens Foundation are doing incredible work in badly affected areas of Sindh, South Punjab, and Balochistan—highlighting how these kinds of organizations should provide the backbone of any response. Citizens should also be brought into the monitoring and oversight of relief efforts in meaningful ways. In the longer-run, work with community and local organizations to better design, plan, and implement infrastructure projects and improve local health and education services can also improve resilience for future disasters.
The impacts of corruption on climate disasters are not unique to South Asia. We have seen this time and again—from the earthquake in Haiti to the more than $2 billion in fraud after Hurricane Katrina. There are many incredible organizations and individuals working with integrity to respond to the floods in Pakistan. However, with climate change accelerating, these tragedies are only going to become more frequent. It is essential that countries build accountability systems now to prevent the worst effects. While it is ordinary Pakistanis suffering now, corruption exacerbates disasters everywhere.
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Pakistan is Flooded with Corruption
Photo by Hamid Roshaan via Unsplash.
September 17, 2022
Thousands have died and livelihoods have been ruined in the devastating Pakistan floods. While climate change is to blame for the extreme weather, Pakistan needs better governance to weather the climate catastrophes to come, write Accountability Lab’s Blair Glencorse & Fayyaz Yaseen.
T
he scenes of the ongoing floods in Pakistan are devastating. Thousands have died, the livelihoods and lives of many other Pakistanis have been ruined, and millions of homes have been destroyed. An area the size of Colorado is under water and the relief and recovery effort could cost more than $10 billion. This is a climate-related disaster—of that there is no doubt—but the real problem at the heart of this devastation is corruption, not rainwater.
As Mansoor Raza recently pointed out: “hazards are natural, disasters are not.” The Pakistani government has demonstrated time and again that it is unable to prepare for or handle its response to climate change with integrity, despite repeated opportunities to learn lessons. After the devastating earthquakes in northern Pakistan in 2005, the reconstruction authority mishandled billions of dollars meant for rebuilding schools. Likewise, after previous cataclysmic floods in 2010, the National Disaster Response Authority issued a long report about lessons to be learned on everything from capacity development to planning to response- very few of which have been translated into practice.
Unauthorized construction, illegal changes in land use, and deforestation in flood-prone areas have exacerbated risks of flooding in the country. Additionally, large-scale exploitation of natural resources and rapacious capitalism by a small elite have undermined environmental sustainability. Uncontrolled population growth means more and more people live in flood-prone areas. Provincial irrigation departments have misused and misdirected funds meant for flood protection. More prosaic issues—like the lack of maintenance of canals and waterways by local governments—have further hampered water flows.
All of these issues are at some level caused by corruption and a lack of accountability of those in power. Pakistan’s social contract has been torn apart to the point that, despite the fact that the country has faced more than 20 floods in its 75-year history, there is still very little political will or incentive for decision-makers to be responsible to citizens for disaster management efforts. Pakistan is an old-boys club dominated by men. This perpetuates patronage and inequality. The fact that none of the senior management of the Federal Flood Commission are female, for example, bodes poorly for Pakistani women that are inevitably the most impacted by disasters.
As has been in the case after past disasters, the country is now turning to the military to provide relief as it is the only institution that has the capacity to meaningfully organize and deliver services—something that only entrenches the role of the army in political life. While necessary in the short-term, in the long-run this will perpetuate Pakistan’s political dysfunction and undermines Pakistani democracy. It is an open secret that the military top brass remain the arbiters of political power, which has been a key driver of political dysfunction since independence.
Effective structures for coordination between federal, provincial, and community disaster management bodies are essential as are clear rules and procedures for aligning international aid. Countries like Costa Rica have done this well. Provisions to ensure the transparency of procurement and contracting of goods and services are paramount to avoid price gouging and corruption. Transparency of data related to budgets and spending so that Pakistani citizens can “follow the money” is also critical—billions of dollars are now flowing into systems that suffers from a lack of checks and balances. Mexico City and the Philippines have succeeded in this in the past. Additionally, all government and aid agencies in Pakistan should commit now to full and complete audits of all flood related funding.
Planning with local civil society groups that truly understand the contexts, languages, and dynamics in communities that can co-create solutions to problems quickly is also essential. Groups like Alkhidmat Foundation, Akhuwat and The Citizens Foundation are doing incredible work in badly affected areas of Sindh, South Punjab, and Balochistan—highlighting how these kinds of organizations should provide the backbone of any response. Citizens should also be brought into the monitoring and oversight of relief efforts in meaningful ways. In the longer-run, work with community and local organizations to better design, plan, and implement infrastructure projects and improve local health and education services can also improve resilience for future disasters.
The impacts of corruption on climate disasters are not unique to South Asia. We have seen this time and again—from the earthquake in Haiti to the more than $2 billion in fraud after Hurricane Katrina. There are many incredible organizations and individuals working with integrity to respond to the floods in Pakistan. However, with climate change accelerating, these tragedies are only going to become more frequent. It is essential that countries build accountability systems now to prevent the worst effects. While it is ordinary Pakistanis suffering now, corruption exacerbates disasters everywhere.
