District Nowshera was one of the worst hit areas in recent floods in Pakistan. Soon after a mass evacuation of millions of people from terrorism effected areas, floods proved another massacre to their. 12 feet high waves of gushing flood smashed lower banks of Indus river in district Nowshera. Flood water swept everything in the way with an amazing force. Within 3 hours 55% of district Nowshera was drowned and thousands of people were seeking shelters in safe areas.
We were undergoing through our pre-service training at IM Sciences. Establishment department of Govt of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa directed to join hands with PDMA (Provincial Disaster Management Authority) in relief activities. Our services were kept on disposal of PDMA and we all were posted in different districts of KPK. I, alongwith a team of 19 other officers asked to serve in district Nowshera. Within defined time limits all of us reported to D.C.O Nowshera a very cooperative and nice gentleman, Mr. Ali Anan Qamar who gave us free hand to plan, organize and perform relief duties. At the very first day we constituted four teams for most demanding sectors which were, relief goods distribution, sanitation, healthcare and public relations/coordination.
With a great passion and enthusiasm, four out of 19 PMS officers, taken the charge of coordinating Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) Nowshera. We approached Tehsil Municipal Officer (T.M.O) Office and inquired about TMO. We were told that he is in ‘field’. This was pleasantly surprising to know about a 
Pakistani officer that he is in field. We rushed to the said field which was actually a field office. The scene was ‘beautiful’ in fact. We saw the T.M.O sitting in the field office which was filled with mud and flood water was standing in lawns. A T.M.A staff member was blowing a card sheet for airing to honorable T.M.O who was reading newspaper. The whole area of Nowshera Kalan was flooded with mud and garbage. Air was filled with unbearable smell of died animals, garbage, standing water, rotten grains and sewerage water. Houses were badly damaged. Home appliances, blankets, quilts, clothes and all other things were destroyed which people were throwing out of their houses. Shops in the bazzar were also destroyed. There was a panic like situation but the T.M.O, who is responsible for the sanitation and cleanliness, was enjoying the ‘cool air’ of hand-blown-fan in the absence of electricity. Anyway, we discussed the situation, asked about his planning and progress his reply was as good as the first impression we had in his office. He deputed a superintendent to accompany us and show the scene on ground. What we saw around cannot be reflected in words. The worst kind of situation welcomed us. Streets were filled with mud, garbage, rotten food items and flood water. T.M.A workers were working but the magnitude of disaster was far bigger than the ‘skills’ and 
‘dedication’ of those poorly equipped workers. We met the local people as well. It was surprising to listen the comments of local inhabitants of one area in Nowshera Kalan. They were appraising T.M.A efforts. We were happy to listen them but the situation was not good at all in real. latter we came to know that was the view of just one street where T.M.A has done something while rest of the areas were completely unsatisfied with the work. We asked the accompanying superintendent why the T.M.A is not hiring more machinery for boosting the work. His reply was not satisfactory at all, later we came to know that if T.M.A will hire machinery they have to justify the expenditure bills before finance department and justification can be made only by showing the work done. They were not ready to take pain of hiring machinery and justification payments through work done. No machinery hiring, no payments, no justifications of payments, no work and result is calm and peaceful passage of time.
Pakistani officer that he is in field. We rushed to the said field which was actually a field office. The scene was ‘beautiful’ in fact. We saw the T.M.O sitting in the field office which was filled with mud and flood water was standing in lawns. A T.M.A staff member was blowing a card sheet for airing to honorable T.M.O who was reading newspaper. The whole area of Nowshera Kalan was flooded with mud and garbage. Air was filled with unbearable smell of died animals, garbage, standing water, rotten grains and sewerage water. Houses were badly damaged. Home appliances, blankets, quilts, clothes and all other things were destroyed which people were throwing out of their houses. Shops in the bazzar were also destroyed. There was a panic like situation but the T.M.O, who is responsible for the sanitation and cleanliness, was enjoying the ‘cool air’ of hand-blown-fan in the absence of electricity. Anyway, we discussed the situation, asked about his planning and progress his reply was as good as the first impression we had in his office. He deputed a superintendent to accompany us and show the scene on ground. What we saw around cannot be reflected in words. The worst kind of situation welcomed us. Streets were filled with mud, garbage, rotten food items and flood water. T.M.A workers were working but the magnitude of disaster was far bigger than the ‘skills’ and 
‘dedication’ of those poorly equipped workers. We met the local people as well. It was surprising to listen the comments of local inhabitants of one area in Nowshera Kalan. They were appraising T.M.A efforts. We were happy to listen them but the situation was not good at all in real. latter we came to know that was the view of just one street where T.M.A has done something while rest of the areas were completely unsatisfied with the work. We asked the accompanying superintendent why the T.M.A is not hiring more machinery for boosting the work. His reply was not satisfactory at all, later we came to know that if T.M.A will hire machinery they have to justify the expenditure bills before finance department and justification can be made only by showing the work done. They were not ready to take pain of hiring machinery and justification payments through work done. No machinery hiring, no payments, no justifications of payments, no work and result is calm and peaceful passage of time.
After a couple of days D.C.O gave us a list of the points mentioned in report of T.M.A where they have completed the sanitation work. D.C.O wanted the confirmation of that report. Out of which one point was an under-pass at Pabbi bazzar. When we reached on the spot, we saw the under-pass filled with flood water and garbage to the top of its ceiling. We decided to inquire about this from T.M.A staff Pabbi. The Office of T.M.A head by ‘chief’ was an excellent example of public office in our country. We wished to met the ‘chief’ who welcomed us without expressing any feeling. As I started to talk about their work, he refer me to another person sitting beside him who was an engineer in T.M.A team. The rest of the 
time we stayed their the head of the T.M.A Pabbi didn’t speak even a single word. He was sitting irrelevantly pretending that this job doesn’t belong to him at all. We asked an office bearer about the status of that person, he smiled and replied ‘Cheif Sahib is only for praying purposes. When we go for the work his prays accompany us.’ I think rest all is self-explanatory about the situation in Pabbi.
time we stayed their the head of the T.M.A Pabbi didn’t speak even a single word. He was sitting irrelevantly pretending that this job doesn’t belong to him at all. We asked an office bearer about the status of that person, he smiled and replied ‘Cheif Sahib is only for praying purposes. When we go for the work his prays accompany us.’ I think rest all is self-explanatory about the situation in Pabbi.
During this work we had an opportunity of visiting a point where T.M.A staff was working. That point was far away from Pabbi town and was the village of an MPA. A team of 10 workers along with a tractor was busy in removing the debris of broken wall from the street. It was quite funny to see such a huge team involved in a ‘operation’ which could have easily be performed women of the house but fortunately that was belonging to an MPA so TMA has the sufficient strength to please him while rest of the people in Nowshera were just ‘bloody civilians’.
