According to reports, 4,000 to 5,000 flood victims people arrive from the hinterland daily, leaving devastated lives behind – their homes submerged, standing crops destroyed, and cattle drowned. They come with nothing but the clothing on their backs and the hope that the enormous city will offer them shelter and assistance.
It is estimated that 50,000 people have arrived in the city and are housed in separate camps set up by the provincial government. According to reports, half of them stay in the Malir district, which is home to several indigenous Sindhi and Baloch groups.
It is human nature for people to rely on extended family and tribe ties when they are in trouble. Balochistan and Sindh have been particularly hard struck by the floods. With the latter on track for even more devastation as swelling waters from rivers up north travel south to the sea. Internally displaced persons from rural areas are likely to congregate. So on the edges of urban areas in other parts of the country. Because cities are always better equipped regarding shelter, health care, work prospects, etc.
History and Vested Interests of Sindh
In Sindh, history and vested interests have turned the urban-rural split into an ethnic issue. Which has resulted in decades of deadly identity politics. Indeed, there is often ugly bigotry towards Sindh-speaking people in Pakistan’s largest metropolis. Because which has been reduced to a small minority since it was settled by ‘outsiders’ precisely 75 years ago.
While such attitudes are unacceptable under any circumstances, it is also true. So that internal migration puts further strain on Karachi’s aging infrastructure. At the same time, every Pakistani has the constitutionally guaranteed right to migrate and reside freely across the country.
There is only one way to keep metropolitan areas from being overburdened, especially during natural disasters such as floods, which are sure to become more frequent as climate change progresses. After the initial rescue and relief phase. The authorities must embark on a long-term restoration plan. So that includes secondary city growth and efforts to improve Flood Victims resistance in rural areas.
If feasible, people would choose to return home rather than live as an economically. And socially disadvantaged group in urban areas.
