CM gives nod to rain compensation

Over two months after torrential monsoon rains claimed dozens of lives and led to flooding across the province, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah decided on Monday to approve compensatory disbursements for the 20 districts that were earlier declared calamity-affected by the provincial government.

The amount for the compensation, however, remains to be decided by the provincial cabinet.

The monsoon rains in August wreaked havoc on the provincial capital, submerging localities across the city while dozens of people died due to drowning and electrocution, among other rain-related causes.

Meanwhile, rainfall also triggered breaches in canals and waterways, which led to flooding in several districts of the province, inundating scores of villages and destroying vast swathes of standing crops.

In Dadu, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Sukkur, Ghotki, Mirpurkhas and other districts, thousands of villagers found themselves stranded and displaced as the floodwater swept away their houses, their crops and their livestock, while the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy, among others, carried out rescue efforts.

At a meeting held to assess the losses and damages during the rains, Senior Member Board of Revenue (SMBR) Qazi Shahid Parvez told participants that 20 districts, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Jamshoro, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Matiari, Dadu, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tharparkar, Shaheed Benazirabad and Sanghar, had been declared 'calamity-hit,' according to a statement issued by the CM's office.

Regarding the breakdown of the damages, the meeting was told that 1,752 dehs, 1,499,411 acres of standing crops and 1,292,643 houses were damaged. Moreover, they were apprised, at least 2,297,108 people and 291,981 houses were affected by the storms and subsequent flooding.

It was reiterated that 149 people and 19,858 animals were killed and 103 people were injured due to the rain as well.

The CM estimated losses amounting to Rs8 billion and said that compensation would be given to allow for the rehabilitation of those affected by the calamity.

The matter will be brought before the Sindh cabinet for the approval of the disbursement amount, said the CM, adding that those affected would be compensated for deaths, injuries, damaged houses and perished livestock. According to him, the compensatory funds would be provided to them through ATM cards.

Besides, he added, the beneficiaries must have CNIC cards, which would be verified by the National Database and Registration Authority, in order to receive the funds. Furthermore, he said that the beneficiaries would be notified about the compensation via SMS.

He directed Sindh Chief Secretary Mumtaz Ali Shah to consult with the Sindh Bank over the preparation of a plan for the issuance of cards for those affected and asked the SMBR to verify the list of affected persons in order to finalise the beneficiaries for the compensation.

The Sindh government has faced difficulties ensuring relief disbursement in the past, most recently pinning the blame on lack of support from federal regulatory authorities such as NADRA for its inability to provide adequate relief to citizens during the coronavirus-related lockdown earlier this year, which negatively impacted thousands of households across the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2020.