German Assistance has Long insight !!
Most of Pakistanis has never been to Germany but every Pakistani is aware of Germany as a country, they Know that Germany means intelligence, innovation,technological supremacy and intellectual excellence and World Wars & Hitler !!! they know that Siemens and Volkswagen are German so is Mercedes !!
Pakistan's relations with Germany remain cordial since its birth but its first time that German government and people has felt the pain & suffering from a matchless trauma in the aftermath of chain of disasters caused by worst floods in the recent history of country, region and world. The pain of fellow human being have struck the world in awe , Germans are no exception it has so much moved every strata of society that even school children has given their pocket monies to help Pakistanis, this was stated by German Ambassador to Pakistan His Excellency Dr. MICHEAL Koch. along with his First Secretary Dr. Thomas Ditt, at press briefing arranged at German embassy on 24th of September although brief started at least 40 minutes past scheduled time but no felt that in the cosy environment of Embassy .
He stated that Germany is 3rd or 4th largest donor among all international community member to the flood affected Pakistanis, GERMAN people has contributed about 161million Euros(about 17.2 PKRs) among them , this is result of a country wide campaign among people, NGOs, German companies and common people of Germany for their fellow human being suffering , we must appreciate the gesture of people and Federal Government of Germany, which has contributed 35 Million Euros ( 3.75 billion Pk r) , these funds were arranged by German foreign Ministry and Ministry of economic & development, these funds are being utilised by various NGOs and United Nation’s humanitarian organizations in Pakistan .
Further more German defence forces as a part of NATO are already contributing to the NATO air bridge, German forces also contributed in kind donations worth 3MILLION Euros. Few Prime time Tv channels ran special transmissions to collect donations for collections of funds and German chancellor her self grace the show and made appeal to public and Pakistan's Prime Minster sent his message, documentaries were run during prime time broad casting !
Germany is contributing 20 percent share in Aid given by European Union and has sizeable contribution in UN aid share too!!
on that occasion a “ Water filtration plant” device was shown to journalists, which was roughly about the size of a small water coolers but made of steel body and about 4 feet high ,cubical shape structure which can be easily carried out by one man on his shoulders from one place to another its called a “Water Rug” , device is sufficient to give purified water for the need of 200-400 people daily, it is developed by a German university students and is very useful device if made locally it can be very cheap in Germany it costs about 700 Euros, which is a very big amount by Pakistani status, any way its technological base was not clearly briefed but at present some 23 of such portable filters are available which will be installed in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa areas affected by floods.
Germany has long insight and interest in uplifting badly damaged economy of Pakistan , they had clear idea of damage to human being and infra structure of Pakistan and losses we have suffered and realise long road of recovery after damages, because flood is still damaging rural Sindh while this briefing took place, they want to help Pakistan through various means along with helping Pakistan getting access to markets of EU & Germany for this purpose a high class German delegation will visit Pakistan soon.
We as journalist community expressed our appreciation what Germany was doing to help ailing nation and further assistance in coming days for recovery of our crippled economy not only from floods but due to many adverse factors, Germans are very creative and an intelligent nation, they have proven them self time and again just after world war II whole Germany was wrecked but they took no time to recover and we should follow their example and make commitment to our land following their spirits. We hope that this friend ship will further augment and forge a strong bond between both nations. Briefing ended after 30 minutes and after that some questions were asked by local journalists regarding Aid and it distribution system, access of Pakistani manufacturers to European markets and future relations between two nations, to which the Ambassador gave very calculated and careful answers, it was mutually ended on a cordial note around 11.20 Am .
Dsas.
Add:German ambassadors pic.
Flood pics.
medical notes“Health Hazards after Floods and Epidemic of Post Traumatic Stress disorders” Pakistan has been constantly in the eye of storm since beginning of new millennium, apart from recent on going tragedy country is in suffering of Terrorism, political upheaval, man made and natural disasters one after an other, in 2005 we suffered from a huge disaster in the shape of Earth quack in northern Pakistan, than continuous wave of terrorism in northern areas of Pakistan army actions, constant infighting, target killing in financial capital and now the worst disaster of its kind in modern history of world, it many times more than Tsunami of 2004, Haiti's disaster last year and our earth quack combine, its magnitude is almost whole Pakistan along the banks of Indus and associated river system, right from Northern areas of Pakistan to plains of Pun jab and Sindh and Baluchistan, it has cause enormous damage of land, infrastructure, crops, homes and persons, at least 20 million houses damaged country wide, thousands of villages , towns and small cities, including many medium size cities are inundated by flood waters, huge tracts of land are turned in to lakes and oceans, water is still standing over them , crops worth many billion just burnt by flooding waters, huge amount of stored rice, wheat and other commodities , damaged, people has to leave in emergency they left behind their every thing except what they were wearing , many cities were repeatedly ordered to vacate with in hours, some times Government announced to vacate city, town or a village in an hour or two, at odd times of night, after that people who were sleeping peace fully have to arrange transport and leave their home fully furnish at the mercy of god and government but no one pities upon them, its huge humanitarian, Health, economic and financial crises of its kind which our country is going through!!!!
At least 20 millions are directly affected but an other 40 to 60 million is indirectly affected by this tragedy, every one in to fourth Pakistani is directly sufferer but in my opinion every second is sufferer in Pakistan , we who are not affected they have their friend, relatives and associates in the areas , many people working in other cities and towns have their ancestral houses and families living in these areas, they have suffered by these news, people are living in the areas inundated with flood waters around them, on the roofs or small ridges of lands or small elevations in the areas with water around them, that water is become stale, diseases, with dead animals and insects in that water there is no way to irrigate that back to some drainage system. People living in camps are in other kind of social, psychological and financial problems , there are emerging epidemics of many communicable disease, gastro enteritis, conjunctivitis, hepatitis of various types in affected areas, more ever Psychological disorders are started emerging among sufferers and workers in camps and areas of direct involvement.
In 2005 I have seen many suffering from POST TRAUMATIC STRESS Disorders(PTSD), like I was runing a hospital voluntarily in Mansehras affected area for one month when I come back in November 2005 to my home , I was feeling shocks every time , whole day till I sleep for at least one month post return!!! we attended many training programs delivered by international teams of Dr s from America, France etc about diagnosing and treating PTSD , this time disaster is multi fold, there is less causalities but suffering is much much more, people has suffered the wait , anticipation, sudden evacuations , loss of what ever they had in the matters of few hours, many towns and cities in Sindh were badly managed some times cities were ordered to vacate twice or thrice in the matter of two weeks, some time pain and frustration were lingered for weeks like water is coming or not,millions left homes and abodes when water reached and drowned what ever they had they had to save lives only in emergency with women folk and infants or small children this huge saga has very worst out come and impacts on ordinary human psyche, its impact is worst on children, old and women but every one is labile when disaster is paramount.
We were trained by American team of Dr s from Massachusetts who worked in Katrina a year before 2005's earth quack in Northern Pakistan. They assessed every third or fourth person in Katrina area was suffering from PTSD in US of A !!
We experienced this, just by working in the area, many of Pakistanis who were watching this whole thing on TV sets, got affected by this severely debilitating psychological disorder, if not identified and combated timely by Psychological counselling and or medically by skilled Psychologists/ Psychiatrists or any Dr trained for purpose, it can be disabling for individuals and communities en block.........!!!
Areas of Khyber Pakhtoon khwa, Pun jab, Baluchistan and Sindh (almost 2/3rd of Sindh is under water or encircled by water). And people who were living in those areas have long road to suffer and governments , NGOs, helping Nations, united nations working organisations who are working in those areas should be able to recognise this menace at the earliest other wise this can cripple this Nation for decades to come.
All the agencies working in Flooded areas or catering health care management, should send Doctors trained in managing Psychological disorders or should give them a day or two's crash program to recognise & manage the Acute Post traumatic Stress disorders, this is as important as providing clean water, combating epidemics of bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic diseases or their vaccination rather more important than all of these problems combined!!!!
I was thinking in terms of this that government will remember and realise this problem at the earliest but till now what I have perceived that whole emphasis of Governmental and non governmental organizations is on other things which are necessary too but it is wise to prevent disease than to treat disease, sprays for Malaria prevention, clean water supply, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases is also a must but treatment and diagnosis of PTSD is also a vital thing to do in camps , hospitals, clinics working in the areas, at least one Dr per health clinic or camp or in regional hospitals should be able to recognise and treat PTSD....when your brain is sick , your environment gets Gray !!!!! healthy mind is first prerequisite for road to recovery, re organization and rehabilitation of not only affected areas but this whole nation is needed......!!
DSAS. ( Silent.sufi@gmail.com; weeklymirrorasia@gmail.com )
Pics of floods,
brain in chains.......!!
