Even natural disasters can have a silver lining

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray, The Straits Times, Asia News Network/Singapore

South Asia's devastating earthquake is another reminder that nature's fury, like its benevolence, is not subject to political decisions.

One of the world's most sensitive seismic zones sprawls across the artificial boundary between India and Pakistan, the segment that partitions Jammu and Kashmir being also one of the world's most heavily fortified.

This is not the time or place to discuss the Kashmir dispute. But the earthquake emphasizes that the most inspiring confidence- building measure that Indian and Pakistani leaders could devise would be a subcontinental disaster management agency.

The earthquake has taken a toll of about 30,000 Pakistani lives and nearly 1,000 in India. Tragedy of this magnitude gives an impetus to peace initiatives and international cooperation.

Last December's terrible tsunami brought Aceh rebels and Indonesian government representatives to the negotiating table where they agreed to a ceasefire and a peace accord. It had a similar soothing effect in war-torn Sri Lanka, though the outcome there has yet to be proved.

Geographically, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh constitute a single entity, sharing the same rivers, watered by the same Himalayan snows and washed by the same seas.

Floods in one part of this indivisible landmass inflict suffering on the rest. So does drought.

It has long been obvious that South Asia needs a subcontinental system to store excessive rain water in strategically located giant reservoirs for easy distribution in the sizzling summer months. Eventually, a common water grid should involve Nepal and China.

Daunting obstacles stand in the way of such cooperation. Pakistan's military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, admits to "some sensitivities" about accepting Indian help even in dire emergency.

Though his government ruled out joint relief operations, it has accepted Indian assistance for, apparently, the first time ever, though India was grateful for Pakistani help during the Gujarat earthquake five years ago when nearly 16 million Indians were affected.

Any South Asian agency must be part of a global system, giving early warning of catastrophes, averting or minimizing their impact and providing redress.

Because of shoestring budgets and other problems, the United Nations Disaster Relief Office (UNDRO) and Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have not fulfilled their potential.

While the tsunami marked a new sense of urgency, Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that even the United States, which alone can provide the resources for a global effort, falters in its own backyard.

Shortcomings are of special concern to the Asia-Pacific region that accounts for 85 per cent of disaster deaths, 95 per cent caused by earthquakes, typhoons and floods. About 83,000 Asians die annually in 20 major natural disasters which destroy property and crops worth US$4 billion (S$6.7 billion). Nine of the world's 10 most disaster-prone countries are in Asia. The Philippines, China and India head the list.

Asia can be intensely xenophobic. Iran rejected all foreign help during the 1990 earthquake when 36,000 people perished. Flood-ravaged Bangladesh once sent back Indian relief helicopters. India, China and the former Soviet Union were once the most exclusive but attitudes mellowed with economic reform and political relaxation.

Yet openness brings its own perils. As UNDRO warned, "the impulsive generosity of governments, organizations and individuals alike can cause as much chaos and confusion as the disaster itself". Foreign relief planes crashed into mountains during Armenia's last earthquake, unsolicited material from abroad clogged pipelines, and stranded volunteers who spoke no local language had themselves to be rescued.

A reinforced and streamlined OCHA would avoid such fiascos. The world needs a resourceful organization with a detailed database to coordinate relief, send a rapid deployment force to crisis spots and supervise emergency evacuation. It should operate storm-tracking systems and monitoring and early-warning devices for floods and earthquakes.

This is something that Indian External Affairs Minister Kunwar Natwar Singh and his Pakistani counterpart, Khursheed Mahmud Kasuri, who are discussing confidence-building measures, should consider.

Pakistan has many friends abroad, but India lies closest, the earthquake's epicenter being only 25km from the border. Just as India and Pakistan can hurt each other most, they can also give the most help. "If need be, we're ready to help them like they have offered to help us," says Pakistani spokesman Tasleen Aslam.

Her response could be a straw of hope. Even tragedy can have a silver lining.