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Nearly a third of Pakistan still remains submerged after catastrophic flooding. The country’s administration has denied responsibility for the crisis and blamed wealthier nations that produce the bulk of global carbon emissions for the unfolding climate disaster.
Rich nations must be held accountable and humanitarian aid should be redefined as climate reparations. The colonial legacy of climate change must also be recognized. However, the Pakistani state, too, remains culpable for the dispossession of its people in the wake of the floods.
Like many countries, Pakistan’s population centres are based around its river systems. Just a few weeks ago, I spoke with Ali, a resident of northwestern Pakistan. He described how his family has been struggling to meet their daily expenses amidst record-high inflation. Since then, the floods have destroyed his village and he is currently in a displacement camp. Twelve years ago, Ali’s family was similarly forced into a camp where I first met him.
This is not the first time Pakistan has experienced flooding of this scale. In 2010, large parts of the country were also inundated. I worked in the disaster response following the floods and have since conducted research with affected communities across the country.
Important lessons were learned from the floods in 2010. Unfortunately, authorities have failed to use them to shape national policies.
Marginalized areas hardest hit
Most notably, the devastation from the floods is taking place in some of the country’s poorest and politically repressed regions, such as Balochistan, where an armed insurgency against state oppression is ongoing. Images of inundated villages cycle with images of disappeared activists and intellectuals.
Southern Punjab, another heavily impacted region, is also marked by uneven development and inequality.
Insecure land rights were flagged as a significant impediment to disaster recovery after the floods in 2010.
In my work with the United Nations, I have argued that empowerment should be at the heart of climate action, of which security of land tenure is key.