Natural Calamities or Floods and Famines

Natural calamities such as floods, famines and earthquakes are a common feature of human life. They can cause massive destruction and great havoc anywhere and any time on this earth. Especially floods and famines affect our live greatly.

In Pakistan, either we get too much of rain or we get no rain at all. When there are no rains, crops do not grow and when it rains torrentially, our crops are destroyed in the floods. In either case we suffer. As it is not possible to control the monsoons by any scientific method, we have to depend on the rain for our food production every year. Too much or too little rain causes famines. Every year there are floods in some parts of the country and famine in other.

Sometimes there is drought all over the country for want of rains and this leads to famine .Sometimes our crops are destroyed by heavy floods .There was a great drought in the country for many year in the seventies.

Whenever there are floods, the rivers cannot contain the enormous volume of water and the water flows into the adjoining areas causing heavy destruction of life and property.

The old persons and children suffer untold miseries. Authorities have to press all emergencies into service to provide food by boats or by helicopters. When there are no rains, the earth becomes parched and there is famine. Many people have to starve because of drought.

When there is a famine the government distributes

Grain, food and remits taxes on land and provides other help to the farmers. When there is flood, the government provides boats and helicopters to rescue people. It also provides alternate site for their residence. There is the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to render help in any national calamity. Both floods and famines are, in fact, great national calamities.