Bureau Report
PESHAWAR: President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday visited the Nowshera district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to review the flood relief operations in affected areas.
According to details, the President was given a detailed briefing by Deputy Commissioner Nowshera Mir Raza Ozgan about rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations in the district.
The President was informed that about 25,000 flood victims were accommodated in 100 relief camps in Nowshera district. Likewise, about 150,000 people were affected from floods in Nowsehra and the KP government has made assistance amount doubled for flood victims.
Speaking on the occasion, President Dr Arif Alvi said the recent flood has made colossal losses to public lives and properties and underlined the need for long-term planning to control devastation of floods in future.
Talking to floods victims at relief camp established at government high school Amangarh here, the President said the floods have badly affected Nowshera, Charsadda, Swat, Dir, DI Khan, Tank and others districts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
He said hotels, roads, bridges, houses, livestock, standing crops and gardens were also affected by the devastating floods in Khyber Pakthunkhwa. The President directed the provincial government to further expedite relief and rehabilitation operations besides accelerating efforts for reconstruction of houses in the flood hit areas.
He further said that all government organizations including armed forces of Pakistan were working in coordination to provide relief to the flood victims.
While highly appreciating Pakistan’s armed forces’ role in evacuation of flood victims in Khyber Pakthunkhwa and others provinces, the President said that their role in distribution of food and non food items among the affected population was also praised worthy.
Dr Arif Alvi said flood victims were looking for our help and assistance in this hour of need and urged the entire nation including philanthropists to come forward and generously contribute for their assistance and help.
He expressed satisfaction over the provision of assistance facilities including food and non food items to flood survivors inside the camp and inquired about their problems and demands. The President also expressed sympathies with flood victims. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday announced a Rs10 billion grant for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) as he visited the flood-hit areas of Kanju in District Swat to review the rescue efforts underway.
While speaking to the media during his visit, the premier said that K-P and Balochistan will get a grant of Rs10 billion each while the federal government will provide Rs15 billion to Sindh for rehabilitation and relief efforts after floods wreaked havoc across Pakistan.
The death toll from the devastating floods soared to 1,191 on Wednesday as flood waters which came from the north began to breach banks and affected more than a million people in Sindh’s Dadu district.
According to the daily report by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), more than 3,500 people have been injured so far since June 14. Around 87 people were injured while 27 were killed during the past 24 hours.
Moreover, he said that the government is also giving Rs25,000 to each family affected by the catastrophe, while those families who have lost loved ones will be getting Rs1 million each.
He further assured that the money will be distributed in a transparent manner and put to good use, through the help of NDMA and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
He went on to thank the international community for stepping up to help Pakistan in its time of need and for providing the resources necessary to provide relief to the flood victims.
“Presidents of Turkey, UAE and Iran have vowed to help Pakistan in whatever way possible,” he informed. “Flights containing relief goods from the UAE and Turkey have arrived,” he said, adding that these goods are being distributed by the PDMA and NDMA.
He also thanked the United Nations for launching a ‘Flash Appeal’ of $160million for Pakistan, assuring that he will personally ensure that the money is put to good use.
