Beyond Relief – Let’s Re-Build Zogam
The Zo inhabited areas of Chin State and Manipur are currently reeling under “natural calamities” caused by landslides and overflowing rivers which are in turn caused by the monsoon. I say “natural calamities” however they are really man-made and avoidable!
Commendably, Zomi communities everywhere are doing their best to help those suffering loss of homes and lives and livelihood. In fact, notably the Zomi/Chin communities of United States of America, Australia, Singapore and the State of Mizoram, India are helping by sending much-needed relief materials of food, shelter and drinking water.
In Manipur, India, the Zomi Council just formed a relief committee to coordinate assistance for those affected by floods and landslides.
While these efforts are commendable and a must, we have to look beyond the current situation and focus on the longer-term challenges of our infrastructure. In fact, I would argue that had our roads and bridges been better much of this current calamity would not have happened in the first place.
But before looking at the possible solutions, let’s look at the causes.
It’s you … and me!
I cannot accept the overly simplistic effects of heavy rainfall as the main cause of this situation. No, the root cause of all of this is neglect. Another word for it is under-development. But let me stick with the word neglect for a minute. It is neglect of the Zo people by the government (in both India and Myanmar). It is neglect of the natural resources by the Zo people.
The Zo people both in Manipur and Chin State have no real political power. The Chin State government was in fact directed to assess the situation in the affected areas of Chin State, however no funds or materials are channelled through the state government to assist the affected.
Generations and decades of neglect is one of the root causes of the current situation. No proper metalled roads, bridges and embankments along our bigger rivers is what causes the current situation.
Another root cause of this “natural disaster” is heavy deforestation and our cultural habit of hunting animals. We have to take better care of our forests, trees and animals to avoid such calamities in the future. We need education and awareness to maintain our ecological environment and to right the imbalance. It is clear we can no longer afford to neglect our trees, rivers and animals. Let’s learn to love and respect our land and its resources and preserve it for future generations to call their own.
It is us to blame for at least some of the choices we’ve made in the last few decades. I also call this a man-made disaster because at least some of them are due to our negligence, sheer laziness or simply stupidity. Think about the trees we fell, the forests we burnt, the stones and soil we removed for construction and other reasons without proper assessment of our resources. Think about our encroachment into river banks and contractors buildings houses and their bank accounts instead of roads and bridges. We are being punished for our stupidity and sins in equal measure.
Re-build … or just build it already.
To re-build is to assume there was something before. However, in most cases in Zo-inhabited areas we still have to lay the foundation to any kind of development effort.
Relief efforts mounted by various organizations in various Zo inhabited areas and by Non-resident Zomis (NRZ) is admirable. However, let us remember this is just the beginning. This is the pain relief tablet. It doesn’t do away the problem; it simply relieves you from the pain. Relief efforts are not the long-term solution to the problems the Zo people, regardless of nationality, are facing. At the same time, I’ll have to admit this is a good trial-run for the Zomis, especially the NRZ, to prove their worth, show their brethren they still do care.
Zo people have to think bigger and more long-term. We need better roads and bridges to cope with heavy rainfall which is common in Zogam. We have to build roads that last not just months, but decades and centuries. It is shameful really to think about the bridges we have over our small rivers and streams. Such small rivers and we can’t even build proper bridges on them?!!
So with or without the help of our respective governments; with or without the help of other third-parties like NGOs and UN agencies, we must re-build Zogam. Develop roads and bridges. Preserve our forests, mountains, rivers, birds, animals for future generation to call home. Have in place emergency and relief agencies that can respond to exigencies and real natural disasters, including man-made ones.
Once the immediate effects of this man-made calamity are resolved (hopefully, soon), we then have to start thinking about long-term, permanent development of infrastructures (roads, bridges, forests, etc) to avoid repeating the same mistakes we’ve been making all this time. Without such longer term efforts, we are simply building castles in the air.
We don’t want to hand down yet another generation of Zo people another pie in the sky. Let them see we do care and we are willing to sacrifice and work today for a better Zogam tomorrow for them. Let them experience in their lifetime a better Zogam. The choice is in our hands. Our future is in your hands.
http://www.zogamtimes.com/beyond-relief-lets-re-build-zogam/
