Undeniably man has rendered hapless before monstrous natural calamities that have ever hit hard civilian population and ruined well built cities. The calamities such as cyclone, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, massive floods have turned catastrophic claiming thousands of lives. It is an absolute finding, these calamities can’t be prevented, but bringing pragmatic measures into use, both human and infrastructural losses can be restrained to a maximum.
Out of all natural disasters, flood and landslide turned the deadliest killing thousands of people. Usually various parts of Afghanistan are subject to flooding and mudslides during the spring and summer months due to ice and snow melt in the mountainous regions, that reaches the main rivers via water seepage through rocks and lands. Consequently a down slope movement of soil/rock under the influence of gravity takes place. The failure of the slope happens when gravity exceeds the strength of the earth materials. Such movement of mass rock, debris, or earth down a slope is known as a landslide.
Although landslides are primarily associated with mountainous regions, they can also occur in areas of generally low relief. In low-relief areas, landslides occur as cut-and-fill failures (roadway and building excavations), river bluff failures, lateral spreading landslides, collapse of mine-waste piles (especially coal), and a wide variety of slope failures associated with quarries and open-pit mines.
Formerly, flooding in the northern Badakhshan province bordering Tajikistan, China and Pakistan, nestled in the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges caused a landslide that killed thousands of local residents. The massive landslide buried an entire village in the remote northeastern province of Badakhshan. Reportedly over 2,000 people are feared dead and missing. Most of the 215 houses in the far-flung area were flattened as a result of the landslide as rescue team could not reach the affected locality and it was beyond their capacity to deal with the aftermath situation.
The operational services of government and public officials and concerned departments seemed negligible and they relied to condemnation only. It is not the only tragic natural disaster that claimed thousands of lives whilst exposing government’s incompetence. Similarly, last August, hundreds of people were killed and made homeless by flooding that wreaked havoc across central Afghanistan, including Kabul. It is a good practice, the members of the Wolesi Jirga (WJ) summoned leaders of the Afghan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) in order to question them. However, the necessary equipments needed to carry out rescue operations restricted their abilities, to duly save precious lives.
The inadvertence, lack of proper plans and inefficiency of government is wholly unearthed, subsequent to the onset of natural calamity that rendered heart wrecking and regrettable. Following, the tragic landslide, the government quick response seemed minimal, evens the aid and rescue operation couldn’t begin after 36 hours. It was later disclosed the government didn’t owe sophisticated, handy tools and equipments that could help undug the buried lives. A senior public official responsibly, but shamelessly stated that the affected area should be transformed into mass graveyard, depicting the height of indifference and mercilessness. It was the praiseworthy verbal extension of responsibility, in disguise, by corresponding public officials, following the third day calamity hit, succeeded.
At the end of the day, the eminent and beloved leadership of the country felt his conscientiousness showing willingness to visit the site of the devastation. Finally, the premier paid a symbolic visit to victims of the landslide in the Abi Barik village of Argo district and expressing condolences and sympathy with the affected population, at the peak of time when hardly anyone had survived. Mr. President listened to worries and concerns of survivors and made promises to resolve them by allocating enough resources. President Karzai assured them that local and foreign aids and assistance have been collected and will be distributed among them. The president noted that new houses will be built for those who have lost their homes in this natural disaster. The move is plausible, sharing the grievances of the victims, but better if pragmatic and cognitive abilities are put into practice.
Seeing the intensity of the tragedy and its inabilities to cope the deteriorating state of affairs, the government must have asked for international rapid response force to uncover the buried lives. Later on, the symbolic demand of a national mourning day came forth. The celebration of the mourning day landslide claimed thousands of lives as a national day marks the end of responsibility of government.
The grants and aids should be disbursed fairly. The complete rehabilitation of affected populations and reconstruction of durable residences should be executed on priority bases.
It was indeed a great tragedy that left hundreds of precious lives dead at the earliest hours. Many lives could be rescued if aids had reached on time. The number of causalities hastily reached to thousands, given the government couldn’t adobe necessary measures downsizing the magnitude of the tragedy. The government gave up digging the beloved ones, consequently they themselves began searching them. Many affected families have questioned the government over giving up so quickly the search for victims, leaving locals and volunteers digging on their own. Less than a day after the tragedy, officials halted search and rescue efforts. Though the neighboring countries, Iran and China extended their selfless services to retrieve the dead bodies, subsequent to the government showing negligence and separated itself continuing rescue operations.
The tragic incident of Badakhshan that claimed countless precious lives, put our collective consciousness, at the test. The immediate issuance commands of mass burial depicted the height of dutifulness of public officials who hardly put a bit of sense of realization, feeling the intensity and sensitivity of the issue and the mega suffering of the masses. The reckless visits of some officials meant not to share the gravity of the issue, but to earn a distinction, via a aimless public appearance. The whole scenario uncovered the selfless services are yet to be exercised by our political leader. It should be concluded that a “Day of mourning” marks the beginning of undertakings not the end.