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Massive floods across Pakistan | Thousands Killed

We don't have enough helicopters, period. Having a wide assortment of them is a strain on our spares and logistics too. We need to streamline and build our own for non aggressive purposes. Just recently some small South American nation purchased 9 Blackhawks for 160 million cash and we haven't spent much at all. Helicopters are very important.
 
We already have workhorses available with the Pakistan Army Aviation. MI-17, SA-330 PUMA, AB-205, Bell-412 are all capable of performing rescue and relief operations with ease. The problem isn't with our helicopters, problem's with the number of helicopters in our fleet.

We don't have enough helicopters, period. Having a wide assortment of them is a strain on our spares and logistics too. We need to streamline and build our own for non aggressive purposes. Just recently some small South American nation purchased 9 Blackhawks for 160 million cash and we haven't spent much at all. Helicopters are very important.

A tad off-topic but today an acquaintance posted pictures on FB of his trip to Skardu and Shangrila. I have ranted on his page but since it is concerned I have to express my reservations over here as well. A military helicopter taking families on their vacation trips in northern areas is itself wastage of public money and downright wrong (not to mention that I am guilty of this), but in a time of disaster it makes me pull out my hair. We've got less than necessary airlifting available for disaster relief and that is the by-product of us being quite under-developed but if a helicopter can be used today to transport families b/w Skardu and Shangrila and take them on aerial tours of the region, it annoys me beyond the fact that it is guzzling tax payers money. I understand that all helicopters can and must not be used for relief efforts and maintaining the minimum strength at the airbase is necessary to national defense, basic job and other emergencies that can arise but neither did the family vacationing on state money feel it (he wrote me back a rejoinder) nor did the base commander there felt it wrong to be using it at this point in time (not to say it's wrong at any time).
 
We already have workhorses available with the Pakistan Army Aviation. MI-17, SA-330 PUMA, AB-205, Bell-412 are all capable of performing rescue and relief operations with ease. The problem isn't with our helicopters, problem's with the number of helicopters in our fleet.

nearly 47-48 PA helicopters are helping in relief work!
 
A tad off-topic but today an acquaintance posted pictures on FB of his trip to Skardu and Shangrila. I have ranted on his page but since it is concerned I have to express my reservations over here as well. A military helicopter taking families on their vacation trips in northern areas is itself wastage of public money and downright wrong (not to mention that I am guilty of this), but in a time of disaster it makes me pull out my hair. We've got less than necessary airlifting available for disaster relief and that is the by-product of us being quite under-developed but if a helicopter can be used today to transport families b/w Skardu and Shangrila and take them on aerial tours of the region, it annoys me beyond the fact that it is guzzling tax payers money. I understand that all helicopters can and must not be used for relief efforts and maintaining the minimum strength at the airbase is necessary to national defense, basic job and other emergencies that can arise but neither did the family vacationing on state money feel it (he wrote me back a rejoinder) nor did the base commander there felt it wrong to be using it at this point in time (not to say it's wrong at any time).

This is a big problem in our country. Not you specifically man, or people like you even, it is the people who are responsible for public and state property that are just utilizing them in the worst fashion possible for their own needs. In America who would dare to ride around in government helicopters? Great nations are great for a reason, there is respect and fear for public and state property by all parties. We also need to let our private industries flourish because in times like these they also lend helping hands to people. If our tourism industry was allowed to flourish properly in the 90s and up till now, we would have hundreds of spare helicopters lying around.
 
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The U.S. has announced $ 25 million aid for the flood relief work in Pakistan, taking the total humanitarian fund to the inundation ravaged nation to $ 35 million.

“The need for response to this disaster is urgent, and even as we triple our financial commitment we remain flexible so we can meet new needs as they arise,” said USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah.

“We remain committed to working in support of the Government of Pakistan to identify gaps in assistance where USAID can be of assistance,” he said.

The assistance includes a $ 15 million contribution to the U.N. World Food Programme - primarily for the local and regional purchase of food aid and the dispatch of food from USAID’s prepositioning site - and $ 10 million to expand existing emergency and aid programmes that address needs identified by the Government of Pakistan.

At a special news conference held at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department, Dan Feldman, the Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said the U.S. is also actively working to mobilise other nations to join in this effort.

“We have already started receiving a number of significant contributions from the European Commission, from the U.K., from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Japan, many others, which we’re just at the beginning of the process in coordinating,” Mr. Feldman told reporters.

The State Department is also engaging local Pakistani community in this regard including the private sector, the Pakistani-American business community and other Pakistani-American organisations throughout the U.S.

“As one example, the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America, APPNA, has received $5 million in pledges,” he added.

The Coca-Cola corporation for Pakistan and Afghanistan has announced a $ 500,000 donation.

“We’re going to be there for a long time. You will see our response to this crisis is a robust one. At some point, the relief phase will end, and we will get into a longer-term reconstruction effort,” said Mark Ward, Acting Director, Office of Foreign Direct Assistance, USAID.

So far, six U.S. Army helicopters have begun humanitarian assistance operations.

The four CH-47 Chinook helicopters and two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters are operating in partnership with the Pakistan Government throughout the flood-impacted areas to deliver much-needed relief supplies and provide transport to people who urgently need emergency assistance.

An estimated 1,500 people have been killed in the floods over the past week.

Yesterday they evacuated more than 800 people from Kalam to Khwazakhela and transported 66,000 pounds of relief supplies. U.S. helicopters assigned to the Pakistani Ministry of Interior’s 50th Squadron are continuing their operations and have rescued 983 people and airlifted 30,973 pounds of supplies.

More than 436,000 halal meals from U.S. stocks in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region have been delivered to civilian and military officials in Pakistan, a contribution of $ 3.25 million dollars.

Twelve pre-fabricated steel bridges have been made available as temporary replacements for highway bridges damaged by flooding in Peshawar and Kurram Agency.

Four Zodiac inflatable rescue boats with power motors and two water filtration units-which provide pumping, purification, and distribution of potable water for up to 10,000 persons daily-are being provided for use in the affected area.

A second consignment containing four additional water treatment units, 14 Zodiac boats with motors, 10 water storage bladders with distribution systems for drinking water and 30 concrete-cutting saws has been shipped to Peshawar for the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

A 25kw generator was provided to the Frontier Scouts-KPk to support their flood relief efforts

The Hindu : News / International : U.S. announces $ 25 million for Pakistan flood relief work
 
In his 3rd August's program, Live with Talat, Talat Hussain met the dirctor of NDMA Peshawer, Shakil Qadir.
Shakil delievered a thorough briefing on the flood. How and what (infrastructure) has been washed off in the calamity hit areas. He has also described how the disaster originally took place and gave people no time whatsoever to plan/group/run.



I hope this video will be very useful for those people and NGO (and our very own Bezerk bhai) out there, who are carrying relief work in the devastated areas. Shakil sab had thoroughly explained the misery and its boundaries. People can also have an idea of which far flung areas are fully cut-off from the rest of the province and are in dire need of relief goods.
 
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Adaab.

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if you can find some tent makers at optimum prices, please forward details to me asap.

Regards.
 
Friday, August 06, 2010
By Shafqat Mahmood
Floodwaters do not make a distinction between the rich and the poor but it is the wretched of the earth that lose everything and die in natural calamities. These floods, the worst in Pakistan's history, are a snapshot of our failures.

The state response is weak and inadequate because our governance has deteriorated to the point of a crisis. The structure is weak and the motivation of the personnel limited. That there was little preparation for the floods is symptomatic of this chaos.

It came as no surprise that the Mianwali administration set up a fake hospital to provide the prime minister with a photo opportunity. Appearance of efficiency now substitutes for the reality of incompetence. The entire effort is to paint the facade white while walls are crumbling within.

It also came as no surprise that Mr Zardari took off on a leisurely trip around Europe while hundreds of his compatriots were drowning in the raging waters. The damage to livestock and property is also incalculable. Millions have lost all their worldly possessions.

Yet, the highest office holder in the land, the symbol of our federation, the commander-in-chief of our armed forces, the receiver of indemnities and protections in our Constitution, was 'helicoptering' in to relax at a French chateaux acquired by his father in the nineties.

How the elder Zardari found the money to possess such properties is a question that is still to be answered. As are others regarding the massive wealth of his son who in a short period has become perhaps the richest man in the country.

This particular qualification of our honourable president has become a focus of the British press. Instead of earning favourable points for the country during this visit, it has brought to the fore our shortcomings. If our so-called double-dealing in the Afghan war was not enough grist for the media mills in the west, Mr Zardari's personal record has heightened the already negative perceptions about the country.

This visit is thus already a public-relations disaster. With TV pictures showing most of the country afloat in floodwaters, the president lounging around in France and London has become a media nightmare. To top it all, the British prime minister has shown no sign of backing off from his statement accusing Pakistan of exporting terror.

All this talk of how Mr Zardari will look David Cameron in the eye and tell him off is nothing more than hogwash. The British media is seeing it more as a dressing-down that the Pakistani president will receive from the prime minister.

The extravagant expenditure on the visit is also a preoccupation with the British media, as is the 'launching' of the 21-year Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The phrase dynastic democracy is frequently being bandied about calling into question what passes for democracy in these parts.

Combine the negative perceptions generated by Mr Zardari with the pathetic performance of our cricketers in the field and the wild antics of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and it will give you a picture of where the country stands as far as public perception in Britain is concerned. This visit by Mr Zardari could not have been more ill-timed.

Nearer at home, the president's disappearance at a time of national emergency reflects the vision he holds of this office. He obviously has not understood that leadership is not just about honour and privileges. More than anything, it is about empathy with the people and responsibility.

But, this realisation cannot be forced. It is either there or not. And within our democratic culture, it is rare. The reason is simple. While our dictatorships are forcible occupation of power by army generals, our democracy is another form of elite capture.

The structure of elections is such that only the rich or those with a pedigree of religious or tribal loyalties can win. There are exceptions, but only a few and mostly in urban areas where on occasions the party vote puts a middle-class person across. On a party basis, only the MQM consistently sends people with limited means into the legislatures.

In general, though, our national and provincial legislatures reflect the elite structure prevalent in our society. For example, except for some members of the JUI-F, the entire Balochistan Assembly is captured by nawabs, sardars and local elites.

The situation in the rest of the country is no different. Members from rural areas in Punjab, Sindh and KP are largely landowners and many of the urban members are well-off businessmen. This bias is ultimately reflected in the National Assembly and the Senate.

The elite capture of our democracy is reflected in policies and priorities of the government. Two particular examples stand out although a close examination of all major decisions would show elite interests triumphing over popular concerns.

The first is taxes. Only a small percentage of the people pay income tax because of not just inefficiency and corruption. These are issues in the urban areas where large traders get away with no contribution. The most important reason is that there is no tax on income derived from agriculture.

The simple argument that income is income whatever source it is derived from is shouted down by the landowners in our power structure. The result is unfair tax regime in which indirect taxes play a larger role. This translates into the poor proportionally paying more and the rural rich paying virtually nothing.

The second is the spending priorities of our governments. I do not have the exact figures but let us assume that five per cent of the people own cars, although this seems high. Look at the resources we are spending on making the driving experience of these small elite easier, with motorways and ring roads and over- and under-passes. Meanwhile, means of mass transportation such as railways are woefully short of funds.

These are just two examples of how elite capture of government through democratic means has skewed priorities. The fact is that with few exceptions, the leaderships just do not care. Shahbaz Sharif is perhaps an exception, as he is running around trying to do his best for the flood sufferers, but how many others?

The problem is that there are no easy answers to the conundrum of elite democracy. Military governments of the past have been little better. While more efficient in governance and providing greater stability to the economy, they have frittered away their chance to make a real difference.

Top generals became as fond of making money as politicians, and policy interventions often, such as the devolution plan, are a disaster. Above all military rule in the past created severe inter-provincial stresses. Bangladesh was one drastic outcome and now, on a smaller scale, the troubles in Balochistan.

Where does the nation go then? The politicians are defective and democracy captured by the elites. The military has been a failure. Where will the messiah come from?



Where will the messiah come from?
 
Sindh on high alert for floods​

Saturday, 07 Aug, 2010

flood-soanriver-Online608.jpg


SUKKUR: Districts in Pakistan's Sindh province were on high alert on Saturday for floods which have devastated other parts of the country.

At least 1,600 people have been killed by the flooding. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said 12 million people had been affected in two provinces, a figure that does not include, for the moment, southern Sindh.

Heavy rains were expected to lash areas already struck by the worst floods in 80 years.

Considerable damage was expected in mainly rural areas in Sindh after floodwaters roared down from the northwest and through the central agricultural heartland of Punjab, along a path at least 1,000 km long.

“At least four districts are on high alert as the flood wave prepares to enter Sindh,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said.

UN officials said more than half a million people had been evacuated in Sindh.

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Sindh on high alert for floods
 
A tad off-topic but today an acquaintance posted pictures on FB of his trip to Skardu and Shangrila. I have ranted on his page but since it is concerned I have to express my reservations over here as well. A military helicopter taking families on their vacation trips in northern areas is itself wastage of public money and downright wrong (not to mention that I am guilty of this), but in a time of disaster it makes me pull out my hair. We've got less than necessary airlifting available for disaster relief and that is the by-product of us being quite under-developed but if a helicopter can be used today to transport families b/w Skardu and Shangrila and take them on aerial tours of the region, it annoys me beyond the fact that it is guzzling tax payers money. I understand that all helicopters can and must not be used for relief efforts and maintaining the minimum strength at the airbase is necessary to national defense, basic job and other emergencies that can arise but neither did the family vacationing on state money feel it (he wrote me back a rejoinder) nor did the base commander there felt it wrong to be using it at this point in time (not to say it's wrong at any time).

SW, we can cut the sarcasm and over-exaggeration, but still it is unlawful for military families to travel by helis in any condition. The only legit use can be one a shaheed's dead body has to transported and the wife/children accompany, and that's it.

If it was used for some other purpose, it was plain wrong and should be highlighted.

But then i dont think that this would have occurred recently..? Or may it was. Such cases were there in the very past but now there's a very strict policy against such practices.


P.S. i would like to see those pics, if that's not a problem.
 
The NDMA cannot have several dozen helicopters just sitting around waiting for a disaster to happen - that would be impractical. It would have to arrange for pilots, maintenance, storage etc.

.

They can have atleast few dozen baots sitting around ? no big cost ?
 
SW, we can cut the sarcasm and over-exaggeration, but still it is unlawful for military families to travel by helis in any condition. The only legit use can be one a shaheed's dead body has to transported and the wife/children accompany, and that's it.

If it was used for some other purpose, it was plain wrong and should be highlighted.

But then i dont think that this would have occurred recently..? Or may it was. Such cases were there in the very past but now there's a very strict policy against such practices.


P.S. i would like to see those pics, if that's not a problem.

I didn't even exaggerate but since that is a product of your assumption of I am always over-critical of the military, then let's just cut to the chase.

Trip was something like b/w July 29 and Aug 2 and the floods had hit by then and relief efforts had already started. It was an Mi-17 being used for sightseeing. Sorry for the pics.
 

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