Crisis management

While the Pakistan floods still dominate headlines, the media have not forgotten about the oil crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. We look at media comment on both these issues.

Under fire

The government in Pakistan must take action against “fake” relief camps, writes The Daily Times in Pakistan. The goodwill resulting from the recent visit of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to the flood region, as well as calls by Hollywood stars to promote aid, will be threatened by the fake camps.

... The prime minister ... is advised to take note of a consistent problem, one that is being pointed out through the media in a very clear-cut manner. There have been many reports of ‘fake’ relief camps being set up to provide government officials with an opportunity for media coverage and photo-ops. ... Thousands of displaced people wait for hours in wretched conditions for food, water and tents, only to find themselves victims once again of an opportunistic political and bureaucratic machine. ...

Commercial greed

There has been progress in cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico after the BP oil spill. But the crisis is not over, writes The New York Times .

... There is still plenty to worry about. ... Nearly 700 miles of beaches and wetlands are oiled or at risk. ... The same impulses that led to the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig — commercial ambitions unchecked by environmental safeguards — have been destroying the barrier islands and marshlands that protect against storm surges and provide nurseries for one of the world’s great fisheries. One-third of these lands have been lost over the last century; they are currently subsiding at a rate of one football field every 30 minutes. ...