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livelihood region IMF,
debt repayments and tax potential cultivation Mind
over matter Solid
steps infrastructure Failed, yet again?
livelihood Ways of the water Conservation and efficient use of water enables people to return to their village and grow food By Aoun Sahi Fateh Khan is a
70-year old resident of Ghool village in Tala Ganag tehsil of Chakwal
district. He was forced to leave and then return to his village many times
only because of unavailability of water. This village, like most
others in the district, depends totally on rain water for living and
agriculture. “Last time, I migrated last year as no water was available
for my family and cattle. I spent two months in Soon Valley along with
some of my family members, three buffalos, and two cows with a friend. The
rest of the family and cattle stayed at the village”, he tells The News
on Sunday. The last decade or so
has been even worse. “Weather patterns have changed during the last
decade or so. The rainy season has not only become unpredictable but its
volume has also decreased significantly. I migrated four times only in the
last one decade. A good number of people in the village also migrated this
year because we had very late rains this year.”. Wearing a white shalwar
qameez and a turban, sporting a small beard and a smile on his face, Khan
has seen many of his friends leaving the village permanently only because
of unavailability of water for their families, cattle and lands. “It is
very painful to see your people leaving the village for finding water. We
only pray for more and more rains because that is the only way we can
survive and live together,” he says. The landscape, while
traveling on the road that leads to the village situated around 70
kilometers from Tala Gang, is beautiful. Miles and miles of land with
patches of vegetation and small barren mountains of Salt Range can be seen
on both sides of the road. At some points where rain water is stored in
natural or manmade ponds and small dams, the vegetation becomes more
concentrated, herds of sheep and goats, the mainstay of the local economy,
become more visible while some acres of cultivated land with new plants of
crops coming out of ground can also be seen. It is also one of the
most arid areas of the country. Agriculture here totally depends on
rainwater as underground water is either unavailable or too deep. In some
areas, people have been using diesel engine-run tubewells to suck ground
water but it is costly. The area is thinly populated and very backward. No
electricity is available in these villages while healthcare and education
facilities are also below standard. The elderly Khan does
not want his grandchildren to leave their families in search of water and
it seems his dream has come true. His face shines with joy while showing
TNS new mini dams and water harvesting ponds constructed in his village.
Pakistan Poverty alleviation Fund (PPAF) has provided a major chunk of
funds to build five mini dams and restructure 13 water harvesting ponds in
the village to preserve rain water. National Rural Support
Program (NRSP) is the implanting partner of PPAF while local community is
the executing agency of the project. The project was completed in June
2012 and a good quantity of water has been stored in these structures. A
drinking water scheme installed a few years ago to provide water to three
villages was un-operational since 2010. It is working now as water from
one of the dams is filtered through conventional ways and lifted with the
help of turbine to a tank built on a hill top from where it is distributed
to households through pipes. “I think the water reserved in these
structures is enough to survive for the next three-four months and in the
meanwhile there will be more rains”, says Khan. The village Ghool houses
720 households and a population of 4350 people. Situated in union council
Lawa, it consists of 17,230 acres of land out of which only 3,220 is
cultivable. Wheat, groundnuts, grams, pulses and forages are the main
crops in the area. The average landholding size is 4-5 acres per
household. The yield in the area is
very low as no permanent water source to irrigate crops is available. Most
of the people get only one crop a year. So, livestock is the mainstay of
their livelihood. NRSP started working with the local community in the
year 2000. At the very first stage, it mobilised the community to
understand their problems and to find indigenous solutions. That encouraged the
locals to form community organisations (COs). There are 21 COs consisting
of both male and female activists in the village. These organisations have
also formed a Village Development Organisation (VDO) which is the
executing body. The PPAF has so far completed 79 projects of irrigation
and agriculture, pipe irrigation, dug-wells, rain water harvesting ponds,
mini dams and check dams in Lawa union council with the help of NRSP and
local community at the total cost of about Rs 64.86 millions. “All
projects are executed by the local communities under supervision of NRSP.
We believe that development cannot be sustainable without involvement of
the local community in all phases, including planning and execution”,
says Fateh Muhammad Malik, NRSP coordinator of the drought mitigation
project. Under the project, 156
community organisations and eight village organizations were formed with
an average of 20 members in each CO. They have contributed 20 percent of
the cost of these projects 10 percent in form of labour while 10 percent
in shape of hard cash. It gives the community sense of ownership of the
projects and now they are responsible to take care of these projects. Mini dams in Ghool
village have a capacity to store 300,000 square feet each while the ponds
also have the capacity to store over 100,000 CFT water each. “More than
500 families have benefited from the project. Our first priority is to
provide drinking water to human beings and then to livestock but the
remaining water can be used for agriculture purposes,” he says. It is great news for a
village from where at least 100 families have migrated during the last one
decade or so only because of unavailability of water. “You cannot
imagine how this water is going to change our lives,” says Muhammad
Khalid Iqbal, manager VDO Ghool. “This year half of the village had
migrated as we had late rains. We bring water from Lawa town which is
situated 22 km from the village and it costs us 4-5 rupees per liter.
Cattle are in the worst condition during such situations. We have to
travel 5-6 kms to find water for cattle.” He says in such
situation a majority of families migrate with their cattle to Soon valley
to their friends and families. “Those who do not have friends and
families in such areas are forced to camp in jungle close to water.” The area has observed at
least three severe droughts during the last one decade. “We suffer
multiple losses during droughts, there’s hardly a crop while prices of
cattle drop at least by 50 percent as fodder and water become precious”,
he says. With the availability of
a permanent source of water many people in the village have started sowing
vegetable seeds for the first time in their lives. “We have also started
fish farming in these water structures. The profit will be divided between
the people who own lands of these water dams and ponds and VDO”, he
says. The VDO has planted more
than 50,000 plants in the village. “NRSP has changed our lives, we are
also planning to set up biogas plants to fulfill our energy needs. It will
save our trees and plants which will have good impact on environment and
stop land erosion”, he says. Most of the households
of the village consist of one or two rooms but with wide courtyards. They
are scattered and streets are uneven. There are toilets only in a few
houses. “But with a permanent solution of water problem people will
automatically start building latrines. During the last one month or so
more than 20 families in the village built latrines in their houses”,
says Khalid. “We are planning to
make at least 16 more mini dams in the village, there is no electricity
and we wish to install solar electricity in our village. Last year, VDO
managed to construct a small pass in the mountain that separates it from
Soon Valley. We spent only Rs200,000 to construct that pass but it has
decreased our travelling distant to Soon valley from 110 kms to 11 kms”,
he says. Women are the worst
effected in drought situation. They travel 4-5 kilometers to fetch
drinking water. It is also job of women to take cattle to ponds. “We
could only do these two tasks in one day but now with drinking water
available at home, we have a lot more time to do other household chores
and help our men in the fields”, says Sunar Bibi, 54, adding, “We have
cultivated potatoes and cauliflower for the first time. It feels so good
to see plants of these vegetables coming out of our land”, she says.
Half of Sunar’s family had migrated to Soon Valley this year but they
have returned. “For the first time, they have returned only after two
weeks as we collected a lot of water in the village after rains in
September. I hope nobody will have to leave the village in the coming
years for unavailability of water”, she says. Neglected they stand Bhagwal is a
village in district Chakwal situated only 20 kilometers from the motorway
while it is only 15 kilometers from famous Gha village. The government of
Pakistan gave special package to the village and established healthcare
units and schools. As Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, belonged to
Gha, the government of India also gifted solar panels to the village to
solve energy problems of the area and gave funds to pave streets of the
village. But other villages of the area like Bhagwal are yet to grab
attention of government of Pakistan. There is no health unit
in the village and 8 surrounding villages. Women and children are the most
hit of the situation. PPAF established a community health center at
Bhagwal village in 2007. The facility caters to eight villages and a
population of around 20,000. “We used to go to Chakwal for basic health
problems before establishment of this center. It takes one and a half
hours to reach Chakwal from here. The governments rural health unit is
situated 15 kilometers from the village”, says Samia Naz, 35, a resident
of Bhagwal village. Zaitoon Abbas,
coordinator of the health center, tells TNS that women in the area were
facing a lot of difficulties, especially during pregnancies as there was
no facility available to them. “It is the first of its kind in the area.
Along with providing basic health facilities we also have a labour room
which is run under supervision of trained lady health visitors. We also
have a laboratory to do basic medical tests”, she says, adding, “On an
average, 25 patients benefit from the center per day, 97 percent of which
are females.” The health management
committee comprises 15 male and 15 female members. Subsidized rate in
delivery cases for poor and marginalized people are ensured while the
staff of the center includes a Lady Health Visitor, dispenser and an
attendant. “We conduct 7-10 delivery cases every month while also train
traditional midwives,” she says.
region Multidimensional
poverty in Pakistan is estimated to be 33 percent, according to one of the
recent researches released by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute
(SDPI), World Food Program-SDPI’s joint food insecurity assessment of
Pakistan revealed that 58.2 percent population was food insecure in 2010. UNICEF’s National
Nutrition Survey of 2011 estimated 68 percent population to be food and
nutritionally-insecure in Pakistan. These depressing figures are not for
Pakistan only. South Asia, which as a region, is considered as hub of
growth is generally suffering from such deprivations. More than 30 percent
population of Bangladesh is extremely food insecure. The same is true for
Nepal where almost one third population is living below a caloric poverty
line of 2200 Kcal/person/day. The situation is not very different in India
too, where 76 percent population suffer from inadequate food consumption.
More than half of India’s women and 3/4 of children are anemic. There seems to be two
South Asias, shining South Asia and suffering South Asia. One South Asia
that has the potential to turn regional economic giant and a possible
growth leader for the rest of the world and the other South Asia where at
least one third of population is living below extreme poverty. It is obvious that
economic growth in South Asia over the decades has failed to translate
into human development. The absence of appropriate social development
policies to accompany the economic growth policies has led to geographic
and ethnic inequalities. This non inclusive growth has turned it difficult
to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). MDGs that I consider as
the minimum development goals and are to be achieved by 2015 would be
missed by almost all South Asian countries. The post-2015 world
requires a new development paradigm as also recognised in Rio+20. While
Track-I efforts to redefine paradigms of developments in South Asia were
quite slow so far, the latest initiatives to improve bilateral relations
between Pakistan and India would definitely have a positive impetus on
SAARC development agenda. On top of it, Track-II and Track III efforts
carried out by civil society actors are also progressing well and in many
instances complementing Track-I efforts. One of such initiatives
at Track-II level is South Asia Economic Summit, which is organized every
year ahead of SAARC Head of the State Summit since 2008. The previous
summits were held in Colombo, Delhi, Kathmandu, and Dhaka. This year the
summit was organised by SDPI in Islamabad. More than 150 international
speakers, around 60 national speakers, parliamentarians, academia, and
business community (especially SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry)
deliberated upon two major themes, i.e., issues facing South Asia, and how
to make growth in South Asia more inclusive. The government’s
support to this summit was evident through participation of Foreign
Minister of Pakistan, Defense Minister of Pakistan, Deputy Chairman
Planning Commission Pakistan, Economic Minister of Afghanistan,
Parliamentarians from Sri Lanka, and high profile dignitaries from rest of
South Asian countries. The summit discussed
issues of post 2015 development agenda,
food security, energy security, climate change, trans-boundary
water issues, regional economic integration, trade in goods and services,
regional connectivity, migration, and gender empowerment etc. The crux of Summit’s
recommendations was that in order to turn economic growth more inclusive
we would have to adopt a completely different approach to growth and
development. MDGs are static and do not capture the multi-dimensionalities
of poverty and deprivation in South Asia. Hence, a change in paradigm
where poverty reduction targets could be measured through measuring change
in lives of people rather than measuring mere numbers would have to be
adapted. South Asian governments would have to strengthen peace efforts so
that hefty defense budget could be diverted to social sector development. One needs to address the
issues facing South Asia through a human development angle. Thus, regional
trade should be looked at with a food security lens. After all 40 percent
of the world’s hungry live in South Asia. Liberalisation of trade in
food commodities currently on sensitive list can allow for free movement
of food across the borders and help alleviating malnourishment. Considering the bleak
food insecurity situation in the region a comprehensive food security
framework needs to be devised. This framework should be applied
unanimously over the region. It should result in augmenting the SAARC food
bank and turning SAARC seed bank functional to ensure regional seed
exchange, technology sharing and seed information sharing. 1.3 billion people in
South Asia are without access to electricity of which 289 million are in
India, 96 million and 64 million are in Bangladesh and Pakistan
respectively. Instead of
aiming for energy trade prospects in the region based on aggregate
endowment of energy in each country, South Asia should aim at a framework
that allows surplus pockets across borders to trade their surpluses. This
could be a good starting point towards greater cooperation in energy in
future. Barring few countries, current energy mix for electricity
production in South Asia is very unsustainable and climate non-friendly.
Each member country needs to pay attention to the currently
disadvantageous energy mix in the region and should pursue for renewable
energy options. The lack of a realistic
and local understanding of impacts of climate change on agriculture,
health and overall productivity turns it difficult to find a path for
collective regional action. It is about time that research which provides
better understanding of local adaptation options may be replicated at
national and regional level across South Asia.
All neighbours in South
Asia must realise that their production processes have impacts on climatic
conditions in other countries. With recurrent floods and droughts in the
region a greater need to devise collective framework for adaptation is a
possible way forward if we dream of a climate change resilient South Asia. “Trans-boundary water
issues” between Pakistan and India, between India and Bangladesh, and
between Nepal and India are a reality of our region. Sharing of benefits
equally from water resources could play vital role in regional
cooperation. Water has been becoming a strategic commodity and the best
way to manage water is by assuming that no boundary exists within South
Asia. There is, thus, an urgent need of appropriate investment in
information, technology, infrastructure and knowledge to initiate the
joint management of water in order to sustain the livelihood of millions
of people. For South Asia to
connect to central Asia and ASEAN countries, the SAARC member countries
must address internal constraints in improving transport and logistics.
Currently, both sectors remain heavily regulated in all member countries.
The competition commissions in member countries can exert pressure in
opening up of these sectors for private sector participation. The same applies in
trading of important resources such as energy in which currently all
arrangements are at the government level. Unless private sector is
involved in the process, trading in such resources may face stoppages in
the face of political upheavals. Apart from trade in
goods, South Asia has huge potential of trade in services. Sectors within
the services industry in which trade can be increased within the SAARC
region easily include education, health, tourism and financial services.
Issues such as data on services sectors trade, and facilitation costs need
better documentation in order for private sector to make correct
assessment of their gains. South Asia is the driver
of global migration. We do not have data on migration in South Asia, and
there is need to develop standard data system. Irregular migration has
increased because of restrictive immigration policies and very high cost
of legal migration. South Asia needs a regional discourse of migration and
economies cannot be integrated without the free mobilization of laborers. In this backdrop, moving
towards inclusive and Sustainable South Asia, the summit recommended: n Setting up of South
Asian Commission on Environment n Establishing a Social
Accountability framework for SAARC Organisation and agreements under SAARC
Summits n Convergence of
regional trade agreements towards norms agreed in SAFTA n Increasing of capacity
of institutions that can operationalise SAFTA expediently n SAARC countries should
come up with SAARC conventions on migration so that rights of migrants
across South Asia can be protected n Setting up of national
commissions that can expediently address in-country constraints to
connectivity which includes not only provision of infrastructure but also
its management, supervision These recommendations
would remain theoretical models unless and until, the governments of South
Asia are really sincere to their people and really want to make a positive
difference in their lives through adapting inclusive growth strategies.
Here, one should remember that inaction by government cannot only
be blamed to lack of political will at the top. It is hard to mobilise
political will at the top unless there is a strong demand and pressure at
the grassroots level. For this track-II and track-I initiatives have to go
hand in hand and this is where initiatives like South Asia Economic Summit
can bridge the gap. The writer is Executive
Director, Sustainable Development Policy Institute and may be contacted at
suleri@sdpi.org
IMF,
debt repayments and tax potential The
International Monetary Fund (IMF has been highly critical of Federal Board
of Revenue’s (FBR) performance, especially that of fixing what it calls
‘ambitious targets’ and missing the same with a wide margin. After
failure to meet the target of Rs. 1952 billion during the last fiscal year
— shortfall of Rs. 71 billion was admitted by FBR — fixation of target
at Rs. 2381 billion “is simply irrational”, says IMF review mission
that held detailed discussions with Pakistani officials last week to
assess Pakistan’s ability to pay back remaining debt of approximately $
6.4 billion. While $ 1.18 billion
received as Coalition Support Fund (CSF) from the US has given some space,
Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves are expected to remain under
pressure due to re-payment of IMF loans in the next more than 36 months
— there is strong possibility that in the current fiscal year, Pakistan
would seek another Stand-by Arrangement (SBA) facility. Pakistan, despite
adverse economic situation, has managed to pay back a total amount of $1.2
billion to the IMF during fiscal year 2011-12 from foreign currency
reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
According to the
repayment schedule agreed between Pakistan and IMF, Pakistan will repay
$7.6 billion to the IMF until the end of the fiscal year 2014-15. The
$11.3 billion SBA programme expired on September 30, 2011, and the last
two tranches of $3.7 billion could not be paid to Pakistan by the IMF
following Islamabad’s failure to pursue key reforms as well as the
exposure of fiasco of revenue figures. Pakistan had entered
into an $11.3 billion program in 2008 with the IMF and got disbursements
of about $7.6 billion, but failed to get the remaining $3.7 billion due to
slippages in performance criteria, leading to suspension of the program in
May 2010, which was ended unsuccessfully on September 30, 2011. Chairman FBR, Ali Arshad
Hakeem, in a meeting with the Prime Minister on September 28, 2012 claimed
that he had embarked upon a policy to increase revenue base by exploring
new avenues and that targets would be achieved. He, however, did not make
public till today any plan or strategy, except two proposed amnesty
schemes that according to FBR would yield extra revenue of Rs. 172
billion. Experts have already
expressed their reservations about such schemes and the Finance Minister
in a Press briefing on 1 October 2012 also said, “No final decision has
been taken yet”. He even revealed, “I have not received briefing on
the proposed scheme.” Mr. Hafeez Shaikh underlined the need for
practical steps towards bringing more people into the income tax net
“especially when people are reluctant to become part of the tax regime
because of the enforcement and administrative measure.” The Minister
enlightened the nation by claiming that “the existing system of bringing
people into the tax net through issuance of notices takes too long to
expand the tax base.” Such proposals, he said, were extended to those
“who may not want to become part of the tax net because of huge payment
on their capital.” With this lukewarm
attitude and defeatist mentality, one wonders if Pakistan will ever be
able to achieving a desirable tax-to-GDP ratio of over 20 percent. After
over $100-million-funded and six-year-long Tax Administrative Reforms
Project (TARP), the Finance Minister is showing helplessness to enforce
tax laws. The real tax potential of Pakistan is not less than Rs. 8
trillion, but FBR is begging for money in the name of amnesty schemes from
tax evaders and criminals. Instead of announcing
any new amnesty scheme, FBR must improve its enforcement capacity through
an I.T-based intelligence system to detect tax evaders. The government
needs to re-prioritise its tax policy to improve tax-to-GDP ratio, attain
better compliance and collections, coupled with rapid industrial and
business growth. The sole stress on squeezing existing taxpayers through
harsh and illogical tax demands will not serve any purpose. Capping budget
deficit at 4.5 percent can never be achieved without substantial resource
mobilisation and drastic cuts in non-productive expenses coupled with
rapid industrial growth that will ultimately improve tax-to-GDP ratio. The real dilemma of
Pakistan is that the ‘mighty’ segments of society do not pay personal
income tax and then through FBR, periodically avail loathsome amnesty
schemes to decriminalise their untaxed wealth and incomes by just paying
1pc-2pc of untaxed assets, which amounts to sneering at honest taxpayers. The President before his
election on September 6, 2008 got $60 million unfrozen in Switzerland, but
did not bother to tell the nation how much tax was paid on this collossal
money and why was it lying abroad. Before taking the oath of President’s
office, he did not declare his assets and liabilities with evidence of
payment of taxes where due. It is high time that all
public office holders should make their tax returns public. There should
be a public campaign that the absentee landlords, most of whom are members
of parliaments, should reveal their tax declarations. All the judges,
high-ranking public servants, including serving and retired generals,
should also be required under the law to make public their assets and tax
declarations on annual basis. Any person who was beneficiary of any loan
write-off, should be debarred from contesting elections. All kinds of
exemptions provided under various tax codes should be withdrawn. The tendency to squeeze
more and more from the existing taxpayers and giving a free hand to
non-filers has eroded the tax base to an extent where voluntary compliance
and tax enforcement have lost their relevance. The present tax system
imposes greater and undue incidence on the poor and middle-class people
(e.g. 16pc GST takes larger portion of low-income groups compared to high
income groups). The rich and mighty
agriculturists are enjoying complete personal tax exemption. Adding insult
to injury, they get unprecedented privileges and perquisites at the cost
of taxpayers’ money when elected as members of parliaments. Our tax-to-GDP ratio can
rise to 20pc in one year if we tax absentee landlords, speculative dealers
in real estate (this would also help in promoting construction industry as
prices of land come down) and introduce asset-seizure legislation for
untaxed assets and incomes. FBR should be insulated
from all kinds of political, financial and administrative pressures. At
the same time, it should not assume the role of legislature and
policymaker which, under the Constitution is the sole prerogative of
people of Pakistan through their elected representatives. The appointments
of Chairman and members of FBR should be through a public hearing by
Select Committee of both the houses of Parliament and not on the wishes
and dictates of the ruling political party headquarters. Through public debates
and democratic processes, the Parliament should devise a rationale and
workable tax policy after taking inputs from all the stakeholders and
experts in the field. This alone can help in broadening tax base and
improving tax-to-GDP ratio. The writers, tax
advisers and author of many books, are visiting Professors at Lahore
University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
cultivation With high global
demand and rising prices in the international market and Pakistan’s
annual edible oil import bill exceeding $2bn, the rationale of recent
olive cultivation initiatives in the country cannot be overemphasized. Olive demand globally is
on the rise. Germans are using five times more and British ten times more
olive than they did in 1990. In America, olive demand is growing by 6pc
annually for two decades now. Olive prices in world market have doubled to
$3,400 a ton recently. Pakistan has over 0.8mn
hectares of wasteland suitable for olive cultivation. An official of the
now defunct Pakistan Oil Seeds Development Board (PODB) had told this
writer that by covering the area with olive plants, Pakistan can produce
around 1.84mn tons of olive oil. This would fetch over $6bn at the current
rate of olive in world market. The Pakistan
agricultural research council (PARC) has begun implementing the project
“Promotion of olive cultivation for economic development and poverty
alleviation” whereby olive plants will be cultivated on 300 hectares in
Balochistan, 100 hectares in KP, 300 hectares in federally administered
tribal areas and 100 hectares in the Pothohar region of Punjab. The Rs382mn project to
be completed in three years is being under the Pakistan Italian
debt-for-development swap agreement. The Punjab Agriculture
and Meat Company also plans to develop 10 certified nurseries. These
nurseries –being opened through private sector in Attock, Rawalpindi,
Chakwal, Jehlum and Khushab districts –would have a catchment area of
27000 acres and would have an impact of $78mn. The potential area
suitable for olive cultivation is around 8mn acres in Punjab of which
0.4mn is being targeted though this initiative. Total impact of this land,
if covered, would be $1.16bn. Similarly, in KP’s
budget for 2012-13, a Rs100mn project –research and development on
European olive and maintenance of model olive farm Sangbhatti Mardan
–has been started and allocated Rs15mn this year. As the PODB stands
dissolved, Sangbhatti olive farm, one of its assets, has been handed over
to the directorate of agriculture research in KP. “The department will
provide olive plantlets, grafts and buds produced in the Sangbhatti farm
to farmers. Though the production of olive nursery is limited at present,
it is nevertheless sufficient for the time being,” says an official of
KP agriculture ministry wishing anonymity. “Despite our efforts,
mass resort to olive plantation is however unlikely in the immediate
future,” the official adds. Pakistan has been unable
to increase its olive acreage and yield for indifference by successive
governments, lack of private sector’s interest, focus on other cash
crops, security situation in KP and tribal belt, too few olive nurseries
and marketing worries. It only has 1130 acres of land under productive
olive trees and the crop is yet to be inserted into the cropping system. The question arises:
will the new initiatives succeed? While olive farmers
usually grow olive haphazardly, the problem is multiplied by
non-availability of standard olive plants and restricted mobility of local
and foreign experts in the olive-rich but militancy-hit tribal belt, KP
and Balochistan. This explains why there has been of late a shift of focus
to other parts of the country. Olive acreage and yield
could be increased by providing quality seed, polythene rolls for wrapping
round the buds/grafts to save them from cold and moisture, modern training
and marketing support to olive farmers. Have similar interventions been
planned? Pakistan has over 0.8mn
hectares suitable area for olive but as most farmers on fertile lands
prefer other crops, the potential area may be around 0.264mh. Even if a
third of this area is brought under olive cultivation, around 25mn olive
seedlings would be needed (@250 trees per hectare) over the next few
years. Has this been considered? Pakistan need to shift
to tissue culture technology, standardise its nursery production and open
more germplasm units to provide enough olive seeds, buds and grafts. Olive tree usually bears
fruit after 4-5 years. However, Sultan Ali Khan, a farmer from Swat, says
his community had grafted around 40000 wild olive trees but only 5000 of
them have been successful and have started bearing fruit after 7-8 years. Shafeeq Ahmad from Swari,
Buner says an olive plant could bear over 40-45kg of fruit if sufficient
care, protection, pesticides and fertilisers are provided to the plants. “We planted 600 olive
plants on a mountain ridge around ten years ago but it is yet to bear
plentiful fruit. Bearing of fruit was late and paltry because the orchards
could not be looked after well nor were provided sufficient and timely
doses of fertiliser and pesticides as the farmers were not given guidance
and help,” he tells TNS. Another problem is that
very ambitious projects are launched but are later forgotten. For example,
there is no mention of the projects of establishment of olive orchards in
KP and that of research, development and promotion of olive in KP which
were allocated funds in the last two budgets but not in this fiscal and
have been left out incomplete. A report on the Malakand
olive development prepared by ISCOS, an international organisation, had
urged induction of more olive technicians, modern training for them and
increase in their salaries, introduction of a system of reward for
successful olive farmers, subsidized provision of olive plants, and
interaction between all the stakeholders in the olive production chain.
The PODB had converted quite a few wild olive plants into fruit bearing
trees. That process needs to be continued. The planners also need
to ensure olive production is developed on commercial lines and its
enterprises facilitated. Olives are grown by the
methods of budding and grafting of wild olive trees or planting of new
trees. However, farmers have found the method of grafting most successful.
A research showed that around 80-90pc olive trees grown through T-Grafting
technique from August to September were successful. The areas with an
altitude between 400 and 1,700 meters, slope of 20°, rainfall between 250
mm and 1,000 mm and having a warm, semi arid, winter rain climate are
mostly suitable for olive plants. Olive trees can endure
low temperature of even -9° C but these can hardly tolerate it at
vegetative stage. It however needs a bit low temperatures in winter to be
able to produce good amount of inflorescences and flowers in spring. The
common diseases in olive plants are trunk decay, sooty mould and peacock
spot, which decay and dry up the tree. The olive trees need
more nitrogenous fertilizer than phosphorous and potash. The latter two
fertilizers should be mixed in the soil before planting of trees at the
rate of 200 kg and 300 kg per hectare respectively. Best time of nitrogen
fertilizer is pre-flowering and stone-hardening stage.
Mind
over matter To understand
the concept of mental health a holistic approach is required which
includes body, mind, personality, skills, functioning, and fulfillment of
social roles. Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which
every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the
normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able
to make a contribution to her or his community. To understand the causes
of mental illness bio psycho social model is required which includes
nature and nurture with a delicate connection to the environment.
According to WHO, environmental conditions are a major direct and indirect
determinant of human health. In developing societies,
modern forms of exposure to urban, industrial and agrochemical pollution
add to the health burden caused by traditional household and
community-based risks. The vicious cycle, intrinsically linking poverty,
environmental degradation and ill health needs to be broken. The evidence for effect
of environment on mental health is varied and is strongest for the effects
of urban birth (on risk of schizophrenia), rural residence (on risk of
suicide for males), neighborhood violence, housing and neighborhood
regeneration, and neighborhood disorder. Keeping in view the
comprehensive and broader definition of mental health it is not surprising
why people become mentally ill. On the contrary, it is surprising why and
how they remain mentally healthy in spite of all the mental health hazards
in the society. I would say it is because of the innate quality of
resilience in the human beings which helps us in surviving through
difficult times. WHO’s Mental health
atlas 2001 figures say that one in four people develop some kind of mental
illness at some point in their lives. Although mental illness is one of
the most common health conditions worldwide, it can be one of the hardest
to come to terms with, both for those who are ill, and for those who are
close to them. People suffer twice over
from the illness itself and because they are shunned by their families,
exiled from their communities and isolated by society. The gap between
what is needed for mental health care and what is available remains very
large. Most countries,
including Pakistan, are investing far too little on mental health. Average
budget for mental health from the health budget remains less than 3pc for
the whole world while mental disorders cause about 13pc of the total
burden. Most low-and middle-income countries spend less that 2pc of their
budget on mental health. There is severe shortage
of qualified and skilled experts to deal with mental health needs. Experts
agree that much more attention needs to be placed on providing the right
environment and services for those dealing with mental illness. The most important
question coming to the mind is that are these one in four people with
mental illness treated? The answer is no. According to the WHO Mental
Health Gap Action Programme mental, neurological and substance use
disorders are common in all regions of the world, affecting every
community and age group across all income countries. While 14pc of the
global burden of disease is attributed to these disorders, most of the
people affected – 75pc in many low-income countries – do not have
access to the treatment they need. Children are the most
vulnerable group of the society about half of mental disorders begin
before the age of 14. Around 20pc of the world’s children and
adolescents are estimated to have mental disorders or problems. Most
low-and middle-income countries have only one child psychiatrist for every
1 to 4 million people. Reports on suicides are
frequent breaking news on TV channels now days. On average about 800 000
people commit suicide every year, 86pc of them in low-and middle-income
countries. More than half of the people who kill themselves are aged
between 15 and 44. Mental disorders are one of the most prominent and
treatable causes of suicide. Recently 02 suicides were reported that were
committed by children as a result of unbearable tensions in their lives
which sadly were note identified and then addressed by their parents and
teachers. Pakistan has recently
been badly affected by natural disasters in the form of floods, earthquake
and is facing the terrorism every day in the form of target killing and
bomb blasts with its various mental health implications. War and other
major disasters have a large impact on the mental health and psychosocial
well-being. Rates of mental disorder tend to double after emergencies. Stigma about mental
disorders and discrimination against patients and families prevent people
from seeking mental health care. Human rights violations of psychiatric
patients are routinely reported in most countries. These include physical
restraint, seclusion and denial of basic needs and privacy. Few countries have a
legal framework that adequately protects the rights of people with mental
disorders. Low-income countries have 0.05 psychiatrists and 0.42 nurses
per 100 000 people. The rate of psychiatrists in high income countries is
170 times greater and for nurses is 70 times greater. WHO says that in order
to increase the availability of mental health services, there are five key
barriers that need to be overcome: the absence of mental health from the
public health agenda and the implications for funding; the current
organization of mental health services; lack of integration within primary
care; inadequate human resources for mental health; and lack of public
mental health leadership. Governments, donors and groups representing
mental health workers, patients and their families need to work together
to increase mental health services, especially in low-and middle-income
countries. Pakistan with a
population of 177.1 million residents reported in 2011 is the sixth most
populated country in the world. Its 2.03pc population growth rate is the
highest among the SAARC countries and gives an annual increase of 3.6
million. The population is projected to reach 210.13 million by 2020 and
to double by 2045. Population overgrowth and inequitable distribution of
resource puts tremendous pressure on the population ultimately resulting
in the mental health related problems. In Pakistan mental
health country profile published by eminent psychiatrists of Pakistan in
the internal review Psychiatry 2004 it was mentioned that the traditional
healers along with psychiatric services are the main mental health service
providers. The number of trained
mental health professionals is small as compared to the population demands
and specialist services are virtually non-existent. Lack of data on
prevalence of various mental illnesses and monitory constraints are the
major hurdles in the development of mental health services. Efforts by government
and mental health professionals have led to the implementation of a
‘National Mental Health Policy’ and ‘Mental Health Act’ in 2001.
The Act needs to incorporate some changes already suggested by mental
health community and organizations. Current International
challenge to mental health forced WHO to choose the theme of “The Great
Push: Investing in Mental Health” In 2011 on World Mental Health Day. We
need to recognize the gravity of the problem because otherwise we will not
be able to act decisively and forcefully. Solid
steps Considering
vital interactions among physical and biological entities, Environment in
whatever manifestation can not be taken in isolation. Indeed, the role of
our social environment can not be excluded altogether that contribute
towards downward or upward trends in environmental resources. There are conventions,
agreements, and policies at international and national levels that
contribute to safeguard the environmental and biological resources.
However, civic consciousness is lacking at large in the third world
countries because of certain ‘priorities’. Lack of interest on part
of the individuals and leaving everything to others is the leading
problem. There is dire need to do still more through collective approaches
which is generally lacking for the wellbeing of the ailing environment. The degree of awareness
is reflected through the condition of the environment around us in public
places, roads, streets, drains, shopping places, and bus stops. As awareness regarding
environmental degradation increases, the more management and environmental
drive it needs to safeguard the natural resources, ensure environmental
rehabilitation, and achieve sustainable development at large scale. It is time to go beyond
the awareness and sensitization level to participation for effective and
timely actions that would contribute to a better environment. Everyone
knows that pollution is undesirable, life depends on biodiversity and
natural resources, but these are not duly acknowledged and translated into
prime considerations and promising measures. Awareness is effective
if it compels people towards positive and practical contribution to
rectify an environmental issue in the first place. Since people are
directly influencing their local environment so does the environment. When
local problems have no local solutions, they attain a magnitude at
national and regional level and the overall impact is so colossal that
requires huge resources and time to bring back and maintain a healthy
environment. People usually living in
a polluted area become used to it. In such situations, no one plays a lead
role and instead leaves everything to others and concerned sectors. With
increased consumerism trends and lack of adequate management resources and
approaches nothing seams to be on the right track. Caring and saving
environment and biological resources is, therefore, not a priority when
there are other immediate socio-economic issues. In such societies, there
is disintegration of collective efforts. Another contributing
factor to the issue is people’s disconnection with nature. Because of
being -busy in socio-economic activities people seldom have time to ponder
over natural assets and fulfill environmental responsibilities at large. Going to public or
recreational parks or hill resorts for merely enjoying outdoors is not
enough unless concerted efforts are made on part of the people to respect
environment and biological entities. Even in such places nature is not a
top priority to look into and learn from but leisure and recreation in
true manifestation prevails at large. Dust bins remain empty
and trash is found in its vicinity. Save few educated and caring people,
many having awareness are still compelled to become part of the mainstream
people who are careless in disposing solid waste. Little efforts are made
to take students beyond the indoor-teaching-learning atmosphere. A
particular environmental or biological theme or topic is not taught
through linkages. Most of the children
read and study about environment but they can be seen what they do with a
wrapper and dispose it off on streets and roads. No regular contacts of
students with nature are established but in their free times at homes
students remain stuck to electronics, games, and leisure. Besides having awareness
about environmental and biological resources, both students and teachers
are compelled to remain stuck to what is designed with little innovative
learning approaches. Similarly, the significance of home as an institution
cannot be ignored to nurture spirit of environmental care. There is a need to
ensure intensive and extensive environmental and conservation awareness
programmes to take people, including students, teachers, and other
stakeholders to the participation level.
The writer is Deputy
Conservator Wildlife Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
infrastructure Development of
physical infrastructure particularly housing during rehabilitation phase
is usually the utmost priority of the people who are affected by the
disasters, including government and donor agencies. Some of the key
elements to be taken into account in this connection include addressing
the issue of vulnerability from disasters in future and community
participation in the decision- making process of development in the
aftermaths of a disaster. These are some of the
major criterions of post disaster rehabilitation realm. But in the two
successive natural disasters in 2010-11 these important aspects were
overlooked by respective organisations involved in the development of
physical infrastructure, particularly construction of houses in Sindh. The flooding of the
Indus River system in Pakistan and unprecedented monsoon rains during the
summer and autumn of 2010-11 were catastrophic humanitarian disasters. The
destruction wrought by both the floods was enormous, especially in Sindh
where according to the official statistics more than 7 and 9.2 million
people were affected, hundreds lost their lives and millions of acres of
agriculture came under water. According to the
Provincial Disaster Management Authority, PDMA, Sindh 10, 21,000 houses
were destroyed during 2010 floods in Sindh, while in 2011, 1.4 million
houses were damaged fully and partially, it left substantial population in
the province extremely vulnerable. The non-availability of housing and
displacement on such an enormous scale started creating problems for the
displaced people who were returning to their areas to resettle once water
started receding from the inundated areas. In the meanwhile, a
number of surveys were carried out by civil society organisations engaged
in the process to ascertain the situation and decided for constructing
houses for those who had lost their homes during the two successive floods
worst in the history of the province. In almost all the
districts of the province, which were affected by the floods, construction
of houses schemes were launched. However, the major issues attached with
the construction of houses were not taken into account. The participation
of local people in the design and material used for the construction,
finding out different and high grounds to avoid disasters of similar
nature were not taken care of by the organisations involved in the
re-construction of the housing infrastructure. Lessons do not seem to have
been learnt by development organizations and the government alike from the
past two disasters. Interaction with the
people whose houses were either completely destroyed or partially damaged
and who have received support for the construction of their houses, say
they were not taken on board on important aspects for infrastructure
development and construction of their houses. “We were only told to
identify land for the re-reconstruction of houses which we did”, says
Achar Jaffiri from Shikarpur whose family experienced the trauma of
displacement during 2010 floods. Design and other related issues of
constructing houses on raised grounds were neither taken into
consideration nor were we asked for any input,” he adds. The expected result of
such type of inaccuracy in policy making has surfaced recently. Monsoon
rains a month ago in Sindh turned into floods, affecting nearly all the
districts of the right bank of River Indus. This points to the
rehabilitation initiatives taken during history’s disastrous floods in
2010. Districts of Shikarpur, Sukkur, Kashmore-Kandhakot, Jacobabad, Dadu
have been severely affected by the floods. Thousands of houses have
submerged into water, including those which were constructed in the wake
of 2010 floods. “Areas affected during
the floods of 2010 have again been flooded in 2012 with the stagnant water
creating problems for the local populations”, says Parail Marri from
Shikarpur. He says it was a grave
mistake that houses constructed during the rehabilitation phase were
constructed on low-lying grounds and important aspect of selecting a high
ground for them was overlooked. “The houses constructed after floods
have also been destroyed and damaged during recent rain floods in
Shikarpur”, he observes. If there were no high
grounds available, the houses must have been constructed four to five feet
higher than their previous construction. That he says could have saved the
people from rain floods if not from 2010 type of unprecedented floods as a
result of breach in the Indus River. He also acknowledges
that organisations involved should have tried to access government
institutions to provide people with ownership of those houses which
usually they do not own and always remain vulnerable to forced eviction by
the powerful landlords. “The number of houses could be less but with
ownership authority would have given people much needed sigh of relief”,
says Parial Marri. Though it is not
possible to prevent such natural calamities, however, it is possible to
learn from past experiences for putting in place good practices. There is
still an opportunity to learn from 2010-2011 disasters and devise better
strategies for infrastructure development in future.
Fears and
speculations came true. Reports after reports, opinions after analyses,
forecasts and announcements made no difference for those now facing
another ordeal after torrential rains in several parts of Sindh,
Balochistan, Southern Punjab and KP. Unusually high rains played havoc
with human lives and properties in at least ten districts of upper Sindh,
northern Balochistan and Southern Punjab. Most of the damage to
humans, cattle, and property was done due to breaches in canals, river
embankments and other flood resistance infrastructure. A natural hazard
could have been easily avoided to become a disaster situation through
early planning, attention to details, and setting appropriate safeguards.
However, what transpired in the aftermath of torrential rains is nothing
different from previous similar floods and heavy rains. According to the latest
NDMA figures floods have affected 4,472,351 people, caused 370 deaths,
injured 1,197 people, damaged 766,818 acres of crops, 274,935 houses and
washed away 7,818 head of cattle. Reports also indicate
that more than 2,967 schools have been damaged and 567 schools are
occupied by IDPs in 10 districts in Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh, thus
hampering the education of over 400,000 students. District health
officials also confirmed that 33 per cent of health facilities have been
badly damaged in the three provinces. In Sindh, torrential
rains have affected 2.8 million people, 11,141 villages, damaged 235,046
houses and 245,459 acres of crops. The provincial disaster authority
confirmed that 277,462 people are staying in relief camps and additional
250,000 people are living off camps. Balochistan was also
badly affected where according to national disaster authorities, 704,822
people, 682 villages, damaged 8,627 houses and 47,361 acres of crops.
Roads in the flood-affected areas have not yet been rehabilitated, leaving
many places inaccessible. Thousands
are stuck and facing shortages of fresh drinking water and food. In several of these
areas that were drowned under 6-10 feet of water people survived with
their own arrangements and voluntary rescue operations by the locals.
Though monsoon has passed hundreds of villages are still surrounded by
muddy and toxic water causing disease outbreak and serious health hazards.
Southern districts of
Punjab also faced sever effects of rains and flood caused by hill
torrents. Initial damage assessment by provincial disaster management
authority show that more than 0.8 million people, 1,512 villages, damaged
25,556 houses and 473,998 acres of crops in the province have been
severely damaged and need immediate repair or replacement. Humanitarian response
from government agencies has been slow and selective. Despite repeated
appeals and reminders from the affectees and humanitarian groups no
concerted efforts have been made by these authorities. This time the
government’s resolve of tackling the disasters without seeking
international support is a welcome move but this requires higher levels of
preparations, agile disaster management authorities and timely actions to
avert human catastrophe. Regrettably, government bodies have not been able
to demonstrate capacity and actions to manage the disaster. This time the government
stocks of food and emergency supplies were of good quality than in the
previous years. Food supplies were immediately distributed in some
affected areas. Other immediate needs of the affectees have been ignored.
World Health Organization (WHO) has provided essential medicines to the
affected population of 298,922 through distribution of emergency health
kits, rapid diagnostic test kits for malaria, anti-malarial tabs,
anti-snake venom, aqua tabs, jerry cans, water purification sachets and
soaps have also been provided to the respective health departments for the
flood-affected districts. The organisation has also distributed
de-watering pumps for Naseerabad District in Balochistan. However, there are still
large strips of land in severally hit areas where stagnant pools of
standing water spread over hundreds of kilometers has made mobility
extremely difficult. Ill-planned dewatering from certain areas caused
flooding in adjacent areas and thus affecting more people. What is
surprising is that in spite of the last two years’ devastating floods,
government’s response was inadequate and slow, leaving thousands of
people still marooned in flooded areas. Similarly, inundation of
vast swathes of agriculture land will deprive thousands of families of
their source of livelihood and push them to the quagmire of poverty.
People in these areas are still scrambling to recover from disastrous
flood of 2010 and were already facing economic hardship. The recovery
needs a well-coordinated rehabilitation package. Urgent actions are needed
to recover these lands and provide needed financial and technical support
to farmers to cultivate next crop. Other than food
supplies, tents, and water, no substantive support has been provided to
those sheltering in camps. A majority of those still living in camps still
do not see any government support coming their way. Early assessments
indicate priority needs of affected population are food, emergency
shelter, drinking water and health services. Dewatering of flooded areas
also remains an acute need. No such system is still seen in these affected
areas with government authorities keen to fill gaps and outstanding needs
in areas where people are in need. Federal grants announced
by the Prime Minister are Rs 2.71 billion, Sindh 2 billion, Balochistan 3
billion, and KP 1.122 billion for emergency relief. However, considering
the size and scale of rains and geographical spread these grants seem
insufficient. It is a little too early
to calculate the cost of these floods on the national economy but it is
certain that it will reduce the average agriculture produce in areas;
local industries have also suffered losses and will take time to recover.
Importantly, most of these districts are major contributor to agricultural
economy and produce valuable cash crops like cotton, sugar cane, wheat,
barley, vegetables and fruits. Add to it the insurgency
in the country (which is costing the economy more than $5bn a year), lack
of political consensus on several national issues, Baloch uprising,
unprecedented recession-like global conditions, massive power shortages, a
budget deficit running wild, the ‘poor country’ image, the state’s
inability to protect life and property affecting investment, and rapid
increase in youth unemployment (almost a million a year) are all
contributing to social discontent and worsening law and order. It would be
a miracle for an economy to demonstrate even a semblance of resilience
under these circumstances. The projection of GDP
growth of four per cent, among other factors, seriously depends on how the
weather in coming months will behave. Recent floods have already ravaged
several areas of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab, seriously damaging its
agricultural production and rural infrastructure. Obtaining a good
agricultural output under these circumstances will not be easy, as we
await the official assessment of crop damage caused by the untimely
monsoon. Rain damages this year
and impending recovery from previous two flash floods of 2012-11 will
cause economic cost on Pakistan’s economy. We should expect reduced food
and grain supplies owing to crop losses from these rains and floods. It is ironic to know
that the government despite early warnings and forecasts failed to protect
population living in vulnerable points. Several of damages in Sindh and
Balochistan were caused by breaches in canals, drainage channels,
ineffective flood shelters and poor infrastructure. Hence, a large
proportion of the current damages are man-made and not caused by nature. With radical changes in
climate patterns and vulnerability on natural hazards government agencies
must act responsibly. The writer is Deputy
Chief of South Asia Partnership Pakistan and Global Campaigner irfanmufti@gmail.com
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