CALL FOR ACTION

seminar

Pakistan witnessed its most devastating monsoon rains in 2022, resulting in severe flooding that submerged one-third of the country and affected 33 million people - including 75,000 pregnant women. It resulted in destruction or damage to more than a million homes and significant economic losses. Sindh province was badly affected by last year’s floods, accounting for an estimated PKR 2.3 trillion, constituting 70 per cent of the nation’s total economic loss. Sindh faced an unprecedented food security crisis due to the devastating effects of the flood.

Since the floods, relief aid and humanitarian assistance has come from various local NGOs and international partners including Indus Consortium (IC), based in Islamabad, and Oxfam, a global organisation that offer lifesaving support in times of crisis and advocate for gender equality and climate action. Indus Consortium (IC) under the Project ‘Gender Inclusive Disaster Risk Management’, supported by Oxfam Pakistan, aims to provide action-oriented guidance to local, provincial and national government officials and key decision makers who deal with post-disaster challenges.

We all know district assemblies play a pivotal role in promoting community engagement and inclusive decision-making. Under the ‘Gender Inclusive Disaster Risk Management’ project, initiated by IC and Oxfam, women assemblies were conducted in August 2023 in district Ghotki, Sukkur, Sanghar, Dadu, and Badin to create awareness about gender-inclusive disaster risk management and to identify major issues faced by flood affectees.

In this regard, a seminar was held in Karachi where participants of ‘Women Assembly’ highlighted the humanitarian issues faced by the flood-affected people of the 2022 flood, emphasised the need for an early warning system and safeguarding vulnerable communities, especially women, during disasters. The event, organised by the Indus Consortium in collaboration with PDMA Sindh and Oxfam in Pakistan, aimed to empower women’s voices on safeguarding and protection issues in disaster situations. Hussain Jarwar, CEO of Indus Consortium, welcomed the attendees and provided an overview of the programme’s initiatives, including livelihood restoration and district-level assemblies.

The Minister for School Education, College Education and Women Development, senior government officers, parliamentarians, civil society activists, academia, affected individuals, and communities were actively involved in the assembly. Senator Dr Khalida Sikandar Mandhro chaired the session on ‘Unheard Voices of Grassroots’, while Mrs Rana Hussain, Minister for School Education, College Education, and Women Development, chaired the session on ‘Women Safeguarding Issues During and Post Disasters’.

Mr Imdad Hussain Siddiqui, Director (Operations) PDMA Sindh, expressed his candid views on the significant losses and damages sustained by the Province of Sindh during Flood-2022 in terms of human lives, livestock, and infrastructure. 24 out of 30 districts of the Province of Sindh were declared calamity hit by the Government. More than 1330 Union Councils were affected, approximately 13 million population affected, 7.3 million people displaced, crop standing on 3.7 million acres destroyed, 2.2 million houses damaged, 1091 people died, which included 431 males, 215 females, 444 children. 8500 persons were injured, which included 2964 males, 2211 females, and 3247 children and around 0.5 million livestock perished. The structural losses include roads around 8463 (KMs), 2125 Causeways, and 165 bridges. “For emergency rehabilitation to facilitate the flood affectees, the Government of Sindh has established a not-for-profit company Sindh People’s Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF) to implement the Sindh Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project with technical and financial support of the World Bank (WB).

The company is reconstructing damaged houses around 2.2 million,” said Mr Imdad. “9.37 million tents, over 0.565 million tarpaulin sheets, 3.6 million mosquito nets, 2.439 million ration packs, and 1.8 million blankets had been distributed among flood affectees during 2022 floods in collaboration with other stakeholders, including NDMA, UN-IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF, UN-OCHA, INGOs, NGOs, and humanitarian organisations,” elucidated Mr Imdad while appreciating and acknowledging the unwavering efforts of all the organisations. “PDMA has been actively working on various initiatives, including the development of an Early Warning System (EWS), Community Engagement (CE)-involving women, men, and diverse gender groups in decision making processes related to disaster management, ensuring their voices are heard, Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM), School Based Disaster Risk Management (SBDRM), GBV, community shelters, and other DRR practices,” informed Mr Imdad. “PDMA Sindh has also signed MOUs with USAID, UN-IOM, UNHCR, Save the Children, and numerous other organisations to address the ongoing impacts of climate change and reduce the risks associated with disasters,” he added.

Mrs Rana Hussain, Minister for School Education, College Education, and Women Empowerment, announced plans to include a lesson on Disaster Risk Reduction in the curriculum, a suggestion put forth by the National Disaster Management Authority. She highlighted Sindh’s progress in policy-making, emphasising the empowerment of women in the province. The minister stressed the importance of creating space for development, even among women who may not have received formal education. She advocated for the increased use of technology and the inclusion of AI to help people better understand relevant issues.

Dr Khalida Sikandar Mandhro acknowledged the suffering of entire families during the floods, with women and children enduring the most hardship. While acknowledging that what is done cannot be undone, she stressed the need to look forward and unite efforts for disaster relief. She called for collaboration between the government and civil society ahead of disasters.

Ms Nuzhat Sheerin, Chairman of the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women, requested the PDMA for the involvement of women in policymaking and stressed the importance of collaboration between civil society and government departments, particularly the PDMA.

A case study report was unveiled in the seminar, featuring ten case studies of affected women from various districts in Sindh province. These case studies presented the demands and challenges faced by women in the aftermath of the 2022 flood. Various organisations, including VDO Ghotki, Nari Foundation Sukkur, VSO Dadu, SDF Sanghar, and LHDP, played a major role in gathering stories of affected women in the case studies. These stories underscored the neglect of women’s specific needs during disaster situations, especially when displaced and without essential resources. The case studies conducted under the ‘Gender Inclusive Disaster Risk Management’ project exposed the shortcomings in disaster response and called for fundamental changes in disaster risk management mechanisms.

Hussain Jarwar emphasised the non-economic costs, including emotional trauma, humiliation, exclusion, harassment, and discrimination faced by marginalised segments of society, particularly women, during emergency responses.

Samreen Paras, Administrator of the Human Rights Department in the Government of Sindh, Prof. Dr Raza Ali Khan, Chairman of the Department of Economics & Management Sciences at NED University of Engineering and Technology, Fatima Majeed, a representative from the fisherfolk community, Amma Mukhtar, a flood-affected woman, Marvi Awan, in-charge of the women protection cell in Sukkur, Aisha Dharejo, and Masroor Shahwani from SIDA actively participated in the discussion. Hakimzadi, a community representative from Ghotki, shared her story, and Iqbal Hyder, a member of the board of directors at Indus Consortium, delivered the vote of thanks.