Tharparkar famine: Bahria Town relief mission starts operation

Bahria Town’s drought relief and rehabilitation team has arrived in Tharparkar district after the organisation’s chairman Malik Riaz Hussain announced Rs200m as relief amount for the victims.

The relief team has ambulances, a mobile hospital, a water tank and trucks loaded with food with them. Bahria Dastarkhawan (food service) is also being set up in the area and will stay there for six months.

The base camp of the relief team is set up in Mithi with three sub camps in Chachro, Diplo and Nagarparkar.  All the camps have doctors, ambulance and paramedical staff, food and medicine in abundance to cope with any emergency condition.

Malik Riaz said he believed in concrete efforts to serve humanity. He said his organisation would also give the affected families relief money ranging from Rs10,000 to Rs50,000.

“The relief activities will continue for six months. Bahria Town will also arrange for the supply of clean drinking water, food and medicines to the area on permanent basis,” he added.

The BT chairman said he was greatly moved by the news of the deaths of children and adults because of hunger, thirst and the scarcity of medicines. “I am ready to spend any amount of money and will not rest until the relief reaches the victims,” he said.

“The famine stricken families of Tharparkar only need to text their name, address and needs on 0334-5164991 and the Bahria relief team will reach them with the relief goods.

When asked as to how much money he had allocated for the help of famine victims, he said Rs200m was only the initial amount and he was ready to spend as much as Rs500m to Rs1,000m or even more, if needed.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2014.