With over 1m affected, PM directs NDMA to take all measures to protect people from floods

NDMA chairman says 43,000 houses were damaged by the floods, while 3,000 villages were affected

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to take all possible measures to protect the lives and property of people being affected by floods in Sindh, Radio Pakistan reports.

During a Cabinet meeting in Islamabad, the prime minister directed Cabinet members to devise an effective strategy to mitigate the damages of floods and torrential rains in the country.

The prime minister also directed NDMA to speed up the work on the assessment of the damage caused by the floods, as well as on the completion of a report within weeks, not months.

He further directed authorities to present the national administrative strategy to tackle natural disasters in the next Cabinet meeting.

Further, during the meeting, federal ministers said the Pakistan Army is utilising its helicopters and boats in the relief operation. Additionally, the Punjab government and NDMA are also taking part in relief activities.

Briefing the Cabinet, NDMA Chairman Major General Saeed Aleem said 43,000 houses were damaged by the floods, while 3,000 villages were affected. He said number of flood victims has risen to 1.1 million, adding that the death toll in Punjab had risen to 274 as a result of the floods.

The meeting was informed that flood tide was approaching Head Panjnad.

Saeed Aleem said that the water situation in River Chenab is similar to the floods that occurred in 1992. He said areas of Jhang, Chiniot, and Hafizabad districts had been affected the most, while a total of 10 districts of Punjab were hit by floods.