ISLAMABAD: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt-Gen Akhtar Nawaz on Saturday said the country received an unprecedented monsoon rainfall and the authority keeping in view the recent spell in Sindh has sent a special relief package to the flood-affected areas.
Addressing the ceremony for relief assistance being dispatched to flood-hit areas of Sindh, the NDMA Chairman said the monsoon rains this season were 150% above normal than the past 30 years recorded average of the country.
Lt-Gen Satti said Balochistan was the most affected region due to heavy monsoon rains, whereas, now since past 48 hours Sindh was witnessing maximum rainfall that caused heavy life, property and infrastructure losses.
He said in order to ensure rescue activities, the civil administration, the Armed Forces, all emergency departments including DDMA, PDMA, NDMA and public worked together to evacuate masses to safer places.
He elaborated that in relief efforts, the Authority’s priority was shelter then food and health.
In order to provide shelter for the flood affectees from Gilgit Baltistan (GB), Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and others, the Authority had issued tents to accommodate 84,000 people alongwith one week ration for 172,000 people, tarpaulins, mosquito nets, hygiene kits, generator sets and dewatering pumps were part of the relief items, he added.
Sindh, he said was bearing many damages and losses due to massive monsoon rains and therefore a special package was prepared for it that would be issued today and would continue for the next two to three days.
“It includes one week ration for 80,000 people, shelter for around 12,000 people. Moreover, the federal government also launched a mega relief package of Rs 37 billion to provide Rs 25,000 Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) relief cash transfer.”
He said the provinces had their own resources for relief and should possess it in excess whereas the federal government assisted them in crises as it did earlier and would continue as per the provinces’ requirement.
Commenting on the property damages, he said the infrastructure was of two types namely national and provincial. The National Highway Authority (NHA) looked after national connectivity infrastructure and it worked day and night to restore the affected routes due to heavy rains, floods and landslides, he added.
“NHA is trying to expedite restoration work of national link routes to ensure connectivity which is going at a faster pace.”
He added that the rains had inflicted huge life, property and livestock losses amid a heavy rain spell that prevailed in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab.
In next 24 to 36 hours, he said a new spell forecast to cause further rains in eastern Balochistan, South Punjab and Sindh.
According to the NDMA, it continued to provide emergency assistance to the flood victims including relief materials for the affected areas of Sindh.
Some 35 trucks left for Sindh carrying ration bags that would meet the needs of 84,000 for 7 days. Besides this, 24 trucks carrying tents, tarpaulins and mosquito nets were sent to Sindh that would provide shelter to 28,000 victims.
Moreover, the relief equipment included 35 dewatering pumps whereas the other equipment included kitchen sets and life jackets.
These relief materials will be distributed in the affected areas with the help of PDMAs.
The relief materials for affected areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) included tents, tarpaulins, and mosquito nets that were delivered to 5,000 people in KP.
Moreover, the NDMA provided ration bags for 12,000 people for KP which would meet their needs for 7 days. However, six dewatering pumps and six generators were also dispatched including other relief items comprising of kitchen sets and hygiene kits.
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