We now have two Pakistani journalists independently claiming that a river in Pakistan was breached to prevent a US drone base from flooding.
This should be a big concern to all of us as millions are affected by this flooding. There needs to be a clear investigation by both our government and the Pakistani government.
Questions to answer:
- Is this true, or is it a complete misinterpretation/misrepresentation of facts?
- Who authorized this breach? Was it done at a high level?
- Who executed the breach?
- What was the absolute impact (above what would have happened, regardless)
- If this was our fault, how big is the bill?
Sources below the fold.
First Source
New York Times. Journalist/writer states the following:
The answer came in evasive, fragmented sentences: there was an airbase on the Sindhi side of the highway. This was where the military’s newest F-16 fighter jets were parked. But local residents believed that the base also housed the notorious American drones used to kill Islamist militants in the mountains. . .
Second Source
Democracy Now(h/t Laughing Planet )Claims the same exact thing (notice she is doing original reporting, not repeating what the NYT op-ed said)
FERYAL ALI GAUHAR: So, he actually mentioned to me that the River Indus, which is one of the largest rivers in the world, carrying now a volume of water which has not been known in contemporary history, was breached on the left bank deliberately in order to protect the base, which is on the right bank.
And the breaching caused, consequentially, the inundation of an entire
district, which resulted in the displacement of millions, not
thousands, but millions, because we have 170 million people in the
country, and this particular district is one of the most densely
populated. So, yes, there is a connect between, you know, what is
considered to be a natural disaster, but then the management of that
disaster is not natural at all.
"AMY GOODMAN: And this is a base that is used, run by US military, to
run its drone attacks?
"FERYAL ALI GAUHAR: Oh, absolutely. In fact, it is a base where non-US
military personnel are not allowed.
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This is an excerpt from brother/sister it really is that important:
The perception is that the flooding in Pakistan is improving, and in some areas that's the case. Flood water are moving from North to South, so while in the North waters are receding and efforts are focused on early recovery, in the south floods continue to spread.
Valerie Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator had this to say yesterday:
This is a disaster which is bigger than one which the UN can deal with alone. It’s bigger than the humanitarian community can deal with on its own. It’s one of the biggest disasters we have ever faced...We can and we must continue to save lives and alleviate suffering...over a period of time – it’s actually nearly two months now – that the water has been moving from north to south, so it’s the equivalent of a new crisis every few days.
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I really recommend Human Development Foundation. They have deep roots in Pakistan. First of all, that is the only country they work in (i.e. it is not an exclusively "disaster assistance" charity. Where others might provide bottle water, HDF sets up water filtration plants (they have setup hundreds).
They have micro-credit programs to get poor people on their feet.
Just read the reports for the last several years to see what they have done.
They aresetup simultaneously in Pakistan, Canada, and the US. I.e. Wealthy Pakistanis themselves support HDF.
Their motto is "Helping People Help Themselves" -- by helping this charity, we are doing the same.
Human Development Foundation
http://www.hdf.com
(800) 705 1310
DONATE
(btw, I have nothing to do with them except I started donating to them based on DKOS diaries, this is not intended to be a hit job on all the other wonderful charities -- it's just that others will go away when the water recedes, but HDF will stay)