David Lock

I get quite depressed hearing about the terrible disaster hitting Pakistan. I imagine being a family man over there watching your house and animals destroyed with no real hope for the future and watching your kids die slowly from dysentery. And the scale of the disaster is incredible.

I have never worked in the disaster field or even been in a real monsoon but I wonder if anyone on here has?

There is one thing that I would like someone who knows to comment on. Many victims die because there is no fresh water available but yet tens of thousands of gallons of rainwater, which I presume is quite safe to drink, pour down every second. But I have never seen a mention of any simple device provided by an aid agency to enable some of this water to be harvested? For example if 3 cms per hour of rain falls on a sheet (tarpaulin say) measuring 3m x 3m that produces 60 gallons of water, say 30 gallons with losses. That keeps several families going for a few days.

The water catching devices can be very crude to start with and soon become more sophisticated and efficient. Cheap to make (recycled plastic, for example), lightweight and easy to transport by cart of helicopter.

I am sorry if this sounds silly but I can't get it out of my mind.

And btw I think it is appalling that the President is away from his people

dl

Maz

iTrader: (34)

It is a terrible situation and one that's going to get worse. The device you mention is available I'm sure. If I'm not mistaken it was on Dragon's Den a while back. Something like this would help immensely. As for the 'President' he's just a sycophantic leech.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Our government has already pledges £5,000,000.00.
Now not trying to sound nasty, but when we had floods (ok not on the same scale), it was all supported by our government and uk citizens, yes there should be collections, but these are mainly by pakistani run businesses, personally I would not donate via one of these busninesses but find an aid group (red cross etc) that will be sending aid out.

Tony

Jap Import

I fully understand the effect this has had on the country, however as far as donating outside of the UK, I'm all out, sorry, but we're in enough **** ourselves.
We need to start bailing our own country out of debt, not increasing it's debt by pledging millions to other countries. This is monies with no return for the UK.

Simon C

Yes, there are devices that can do that job, the outdoor market is full of them. They wont filter the volume that your thinking of, but they would do the job of giving a family safe water, about 10l a day.

Problem is 1, its all civi companies that make them, and the amount of them you'd need to make them effective.

David Lock

Thanks for that. I am glad to hear that they are available but I have never heard of them actually being supplied and used. Years ago I met a clever chap who had come up with a small device that used osmosis that would transform a small quantity of filthy water into something drinkable, perfect for this sort of disaster. I introduced him to some leading aid agencies but no one could be bothered with it.

I was not suggesting a filter as such, just a very crude collecting mechanism catching rainwater.

Jap Import. Fair enough but we are only talking about a few pence per UK citizen. UK has its priorities all wrong. Imagine how much more we could give if we didn't spend billions on wars and white elephants like Tridents. IMHO of course.

DingDongler. Couldn't agree more. Clearly the moderators are happy that a racist remark is quite acceptable these days. It isn't even funny as that "joke" was old even when the tsunami struck. Very childish.

============

And it's getting worse by the day.

d

tony de wonderful

Aid enables these countries to be run badly and stuff. Sorry to sound callus.

David Lock

And their leaders to get richer. Sometimes. I have seen it happen. But agencies are getting more focused and, in my view, the small projects work better. But even then things go wrong. Witness that awful killing of that eye team in Afghanistan a couple of days ago. Would you deny them the modest aid money that kept them going for 30 plus years and did so much good?

And you can't blame the Pakistani government for the monsoons and don't we have a moral responsibility to do something to save lives on this small planet of ours? NOT trying to preach - just my opinions

dl

tony de wonderful

You can blame governments for not managing risks properly or taking other meaures.

For example earthquakes can't be stopped but regulations can make buildings stronger.

Droughts etc can be managed with proper agricultural policies.

Aid let's useless 3rd world elites and governments off the hook. The ultimate example is N. Korea.

Leslie

I agree wwith what you say dl. As I said above, I hope the money is going to the right places. There have been bad stories about crooked leaders diverting the cash to their private accounts and also of them selling the donated food aid to the people who were starving!

Les

tony de wonderful

You need to think deeper. It's not about elites profiting but existing as elites in the first place!

DCI Gene Hunt

I've got to hand it to the efficiency of the Pakistani Government, who managed to get millions out of the country and into Britain before the floods hit by starting the evacuation in 1956...

The Zohan

I think the country/people need the support and not to confuse the government and i think it important to keep the two as separate as possible.

What i do find hard to resolve is Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme and military spending given that they cannot deal with flooding that happens each year, ok this is exceptional but not unique.

They should think a little more carefully about what and how they spend their money and put the people first, not get into a p*ssing contest with India!

Having said that it is just not fair the people and especially the children suffer just to make a point.

Dingdongler

Paul, I have very little time for the Pakistani government (and others like it) ie unelected and on the whole quite corrupt.

However your comment about prioritising applies to all countries. America, one of the so called richest countries in the world with its huge armed forces still has some of the most awful ghettos in the world and millions of the poorest with no real access to medical care. I'm sure we could find similar examples for the UK.
Don't forget the awful shambolic response to Hurricane Katrina from the most powerful country in the world

The Zohan

Cannot argue with you about the USA or indeed other so called 'first world' countries who do not prepare and the fail to act quickly.

I do see the death and destruction and what bothers me that the people vote the government in to put the best interests of the people first yet guns and bombs and being bigger and tougher than their neighbour(s) get priority. As i said the floods are not a one off, they happen pretty much each year, not always this severe but it does happen, so why cannot the government prepare, prioritise and prevent, failing prevention deal the the aftermath which is usually more expensive.

The issue is you just cannot punish the people but they really do need to think about who and why they elect, not just the party who sabre rattles the most or loudest.

This applies to the united states and other countries as much as Pakistan and yet the good will of people of other countries will bail out the government and save the people because no one can just sit by an do nothing.

It is all messed up.

David Lock

Paul, this is not just an "ordinary" flood. It's the worst for a century if not longer. 14 million people affected. No government could prepare for this.
david

The Zohan

and you feel all the money spent on nuclear weapons programmes and their military is money well spent or could have been used to prevent or indeed help the aftermath.

I do agree the worst floods for a long time but that does not prevent money being spent on prevention and control of floods and reducing the casualties, deaths and people affected.

Otherwise why bother at all with anything at all, it is going to get worse not matter what we do, not the right attitude, strategy or policy - IMHO!

BOB.T

I'm not sending any money to a country that supports the Taliban...that and I'm skint!

madscoob

iTrader: (3)

quite right . i wouldnt send em the sweat of my **** to drink let alone money to fund training camps , like i said karma has a wonderfull way of biting you on the **** , as for their presadent over here with cameron . fair play he is probably property hunting while learing how to waste money like our goverment

banny sti

iTrader: (68)

You lot crack me up, whats that phrase "empty vessels make the most noise" quite appropriately for several posters on this thread. Oh and the Pakistani government are are bunch of ***** too

Banny

Leslie

Thats as about as selfish an attitude as you can get.

Les

what would scooby do

+ what about the 70,000 Africans that die every day ?

tony de wonderful

Exactly, or the 3rd worldies who must toil in sweatshops to provide our opulant western existance?

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

I think everyone needs to chill out in this thread. White or asian you still come across as a d1ckhead posting inane drivel on the internet

DCI Gene Hunt

OK, who the **** are you and what have you done with KoT

David Lock

I take it that the rest of this thread with its nasty, often racist, undertones has been vaporized??

dl

Thank you.

DCI Gene Hunt

"Wrong"

It was the fact that that bloke from Pakistan "Biggi" wanted to sniff my white wifes knickers and dominate me that invoked the wrath of the Moderators....

People are drowning / getting their legs wet and all he wanted to do was pork mrs hunt and keep her knickers as some sort of throphy

I cry at the thought of how cruel the world has become

tony de wonderful

The first person to mention race was of Pakistani origin.

DCI Gene Hunt

That was the nasty racist that dl was on about?

Dingdongler

Don't be ridiculous. There were a whole load of racist (and not funny) jokes by ***** like Jods and DCI long before the Pakistani guy started his ranting.