K-P districts receive cash injection for flood relief

Minister exhorts municipal bodies to mount rescue efforts

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Paktunkhwa (K-P) Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has released additional fund of Rs305 million to the relief accounts of 23 districts to deal with any untoward situation during the current monsoon season.

The amount of Rs30 million has been transferred to Nowshera, Rs30 million to Tank, Rs20 million to DI Khan, Rs20 million to Karak, Rs20 million to Mansehra, Rs15 million each to Buner, Kohat, Dir Lower, Rs10 million each to Peshawar, Abbottabad, Chitral Upper, Battgram, Shangla, Dir Upper, Swat, North Waziristan, Charrsada, Swabi, Malakand, and Banuu.

According to the Director General PDMA, the authority has already sent relief goods to all the district administrations and more supplies will be sent in time of need.

Under the decentralization policy, the district administrations concerned will distribute funds and relief goods.

At present there is sufficient cash in the district administration relief accounts. He added that the PDMA warehouse is also fully operational.

LG bodies told to start relief work

K-P Minister for Local Government, Elections and Rural Development Sardar Faisal Amin Gandapur has instructed the local bodies (LG) and municipal authorities across the province to fully participate in the relief operations in view of the current serious situation of monsoon rains and floods.

Similarly, they also have to provide full support to the relief and rescue agencies engaged in the process, as well as to make foolproof arrangements for effectively dealing with any calamity and controlling its negative impact and losses to the people, he added.

He was addressing a review meeting on monsoon arrangements at the LG secretariat, Peshawar.

The meeting besides Secretary LG&RDD Syed Zaheerul Islam Shah was attended by high-ups of Local Council Board, TMAs, WSSCs, area development authorities and relevant sections and departments.

The meeting took stock of the flood situation across the province including the merged districts, especially the damages caused by urban flooding.

Gandapur noted that foremost task of the LG in bad weather conditions is to immediately evacuate the flood water from the cities and towns and consistently maintain the drainage system so that the people in the urban areas can be saved from loss of life and property to the maximum possible extent.

Similarly, extending maximum support to the rescue teams and victims in affected areas is also the need of the hour, he maintained.

The minister admitted that the recent monsoon rains and floods have broken the previous records and created stories of disaster across the country, and even Pakistan Army had to come in for rescue operation due to the precariousness of the situation. However, he reiterated that the living nations always faced every disaster and calamity with courage and emerged victorious from all challenges.

“Institutions have to stand behind the nation like a rock in this jihad,” Gandapur said.

He however underlined the need that in the current dire situation, the role of municipal and local bodies increases manifold to cope with natural calamities and safeguard its people as much as possible, he concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th, 2022.