In trouble: Clean water ordered for those in deep waters

Govt to hold donors’ conference to raise funds.

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Monday that arrangements should be made to provide drinking water to flood-hit areas.

He told a Cabinet Committee on Flood Relief that the relief and rescue operation in flooded areas should be monitored through videoconferences.

The chief minister constituted a committee to assess the damage to life and property. He said flood victims would be compensated before Eidul Azha.

He directed the committee to give its recommendations for the rehabilitation of flood-affected people.

Sharif said funds released to districts should be spent on providing relief to the victims.

Separately, Zaeem Qadri, spokesperson for the government, said a donors’ conference would be held to arrange funds for the rehabilitation of flood victims.

He told a press conference at the civil secretariat that the government had received relief goods from Turkey. The World Food Organisation and United Nations had also offered their help, Qadri said.

He said the floods had caused losses worth more than Rs100 billion in 21 districts. He said the governor had gone abroad to seek monetary help from overseas Pakistanis.

Cabinet Committee on Flood chairman Shuja Khanzada said 232 people had died in floods. He said the heirs of 152 deceased had been provided Rs1.6 million financial assistance each.

Khanzada said the floods had affected 2.5 million people; 550,000 had been evacuated. He said 185,000 food hampers had been distributed among the affected people.

The floods had damaged 38 major roads; 31 of them had been repaired, Khanzada said. He said the government would provide the first instalment of Rs25,000 each to flood-hit families before Eid.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th, 2014.