Rs76b needed for rain relief: Sindh govt

The Sindh government has estimated the cost of rehabilitating 2.49 million people affected by recent rains at Rs76 million, which will include the payment of compensation for deaths, destroyed properties and harmed cattle.

This emerged during a meeting held between Sindh government representatives and a delegation from United Nation (UN) on Friday.

At the meeting, Sindh Relief and Revenue Minister Makhdoom Mehboob Zaman, Sindh chief secretary Mumtaz Shah and Sindh Member Board of Revenue (SMBR) Qazi Shahid Parvez briefed the UN delegation.

The chief secretary informed the meeting that 136 human deaths were reported as a consequence of rains, while 86 people sustained injuries, 15,233 villages were badly affected, approximately 2.49 million people had been displaced, crops on 1.09 million acres of land were wiped out, 5,729 pakka houses and 71,614 katcha ones were completely destroyed, 10,540 pakka houses and 126,674 katcha ones were partly damaged and 45,961 livestock died.

Sharing further details, the chief secretary said of the estimated rehabilitation cost, Rs500,000, from a sum of Rs36.5 million, needed to be paid to the families of 73 breadwinners lost to the rains, and Rs300,000 to the heirs of each 63 others who died as a result of the calamity, out of an estimated sum of Rs18.9 million.

He said 86 persons had also sustained severe injuries, each of whom each needed to be given Rs100,000, of Rs8.6 million set aside for the purpose.

Similarly, the chief secretary added, Rs1.15 billion had to be reserved for the reconstruction of destroyed pakka houses. Besides, Rs1.05 billion was to be allocated for fixing partially damaged pakka houses, he added.

Speaking about katcha houses, he said Rs100,000 was to be paid as compensation for each destroyed dwelling, and Rs50,000 for the repair of each partially damaged one.

Zaman said the provincial government had been utilising all its resources to support displaced persons, but it was not enough."There is a wide gap between the supply [and requirement] of tents, ration bags, mosquito nets, jerry cans, kitchen equipment and tarpaulin sheets," he said, adding that over Rs1 billion alone was required to meet the requirements of displaced persons currently living on sand dunes.

The delegation members told the government representatives they had visited all rain-affected areas in Karachi, Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas divisions, dubbing the condition of people and animals there "painful." They assured the government of their support and cooperation in providing relief.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2020.