Civil Service
Writing Practice – 1
Writing practice for Civil Service aspirants
Read the following article from Scroll and answer the questions underneath
Pakistan’s recovery from the floods will be complicated by the upheaval in global markets
The federal and provincial governments face an uphill battle in ensuring food security over the coming months.
The devastation wreaked by floods in large parts of Pakistan will spare no one – not even those who have been lucky to avoid being directly impacted by the worst of the disaster unleashed by this year’s unseasonably heavy rains.
A formal assessment of the extent of damages has yet to be done, but the situation already looks quite grim. Vast tracts of farmland across the country are now submerged under water, which means many standing crops have been completely destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of livestock heads have additionally been lost to the floods. Transportation and communication networks have either been disrupted or completely destroyed in many areas, meaning it is no longer easy to move goods from one place to another.
Meanwhile, the people residing in the worst-affected areas do not have enough food to eat or clean water to drink. There are reports that many are suffering from starvation.
According to a report in this newspaper, citizens in Dera Ghazi Khan had mobbed a food distribution truck out of desperation to feed themselves and their families. Those heart-wrenching scenes are expected to be repeated elsewhere as the relief response has been slow and mainly focused so far on saving lives that may otherwise be lost to the floods.
Given the extent of damage caused to crops and livestock and the disruption in transportation networks connecting farming areas to urban settlements, there are bound to be food shortages in the coming months, which will drive up food inflation even further.
Not only that, reports of widespread devastation in cotton plantations means industrial activity will be severely affected. With textiles contributing a major chunk of export earnings, the impact will reverberate throughout the economy.
The federal and provincial governments face an uphill battle in ensuring food security over the coming months, as importing foodstuff to make up for domestic shortages is unlikely to be an easy option because of the upheaval in global markets as well as Pakistan’s considerably weakened external position.
It is imperative, therefore, for the nation to come together to contribute towards relief and rehabilitation efforts. It is not only a moral obligation but also a practical need.
Farming communities form the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, and their suffering will directly affect the entire country if it is not alleviated quickly. There needs to be a coordinated effort to rebuild and restore as soon as the rains subside and the floodwaters recede.
Meanwhile, the government needs to set up a centralised crisis response task force so that it has better control of the situation and can address urgent needs like getting sufficient food and shelter to the displaced people. All federating units need to be a part of this task force to ensure there are no slippages in service delivery.
Management of this crisis should henceforth be our number one national priority.
Questions
1. What catastrophe is Pakistan facing now?
2. Make sentences with..
Upheaval, Uphill, Ensure, Wreak, Unleash, Grim, Submerge, Livestock, Reverberate, Alleviate, Subside, Recede
3. Describe in detail the destruction of life and property caused by the recent floods in Pakistan.
4. Describe the incident in Dera Ghaji Khan. What does it show?
5. Why is food inflation likely to soar in the coming months?
6. Why is the loss of cotton crops so worrisome for the economists?
7. Why can’t Pakistan go for large imports of food and other essential items to tide over the present crisis?
8. What concrete steps the government has to take to grapple with the problems faced by the people in the aftermath of the deluge?
Answers
1. The rainfall in almost the whole of Pakistan has been exceedingly heavy this year. The downpour has led to inundation of vast swathes causing catastrophic destruction of life and property. Loss of standing crops, and live stock has brought insufferable hardship to the farming communities. With one third of the country under water, Pakistan government already reeling under economic hardship finds itself in a precarious position in trying to reach relief supplies to the affected people.
2. Upheaval – The Late Gorbachev’s policies of perestroika and glasnost caused unexpected upheaval in Russia that eventually led to its disintegration.
Uphill – With the party in complete disarray, the new president of the Congress Party will find re-building it an uphill task.
Ensure – All Civil Service aspirants must ensure that their essays are rich in content, and free of grammar flaws.
Wreak – If an accident happens in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, it will wreak havoc in the whole of Europe and beyond.
Unleash – It is quite disconcerting to see how the government unleashes its coercive powers against opposition parties through the Enforcement Directorate, and the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Grim – With dwindling exports, and increase in commodity prices globally, the economic situation in Bangladesh looks quite grim.
Submerge – A submarine can avoid detection by remaining submerged for lng periods of time.
Livestock – The farming communities treat livestock as one of their most prized assets.
Reverberate – The boom of enemy artillery fire reverberated throughout the city the whole night.
Alleviate – The free distribution of food items to the poor people alleviated their suffering in the post-Covid period.
Subside – Mothers of young Russian recruits are praying for the Ukraine war to subside, so that their sons could return home.
Recede – The fear of Covid has receded in most parts of the world.
3. Mud houses in hundreds and thousands have collapsed due to the surging floods. Cattle have been swept away, and standing crops, especially of cotton have been ruined after remaining submerged in water. Roads, Bridges, communication lines have all been obliterated.
4. Starving crowds attacked a relief truck carrying food items, and looted it in no time. It was an act of utter desperation that has gripped the affected people.
5. Due to long heat spell around the globe, harvest of wheat has plummeted. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has disrupted supply lines constraining the movement of wheat internationally. Gas and crude prices have also risen due to the squabbling between European countries and Russia. All these are now fuelling inflation.
6. Pakistan’s export earnings come mostly from textile exports. With cotton harvest badly hit, Pakistan’s textile industries will find it very hard to get enough raw material to cater to their export obligations.
7. Pakistan is at the end of its tether due to acute shortage of foreign exchange. This trauma has been felt for years, and is getting worse with every passing day. With no dollar to pay for the imports, Pakistan finds it hard to buy anything from abroad.
8. Unity among political parties, cohesive action by NGOs, and a determined administration hold the key to success in combating the after effects of the flood.