Payout for home rebuilding okayed

Floods destroyed 35,357 houses in K-P; death toll reaches 290

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has approved cash compensation for rehabilitation of houses that were destroyed in the recent rains and flash floods across the province.

He said that the rehabilitation of flood victims is the first priority of the provincial government.

Chairing the first meeting of the committee to oversee the management and utilisation of Chief Minister Flood Relief Fund here on Tuesday, Khan ordered opening of donation accounts in all the major banks in order to facilitate donors and philanthropists in addition to involving international donors so that maximum amount can be collected.

The chief minister maintained that all the deserving should get their right and necessary steps should be taken in order to prevent the misuse of funds.

He noted that the provincial government is working sincerely to rehabilitate maximum number of people in the shortest possible time, adding that the compensation amount has been increased considerably to make sure that the flood affectees are able to restart their normal lives.

The provincial government stands with its people in this hour of need and all available resources will be employed to their rescue, he added.

The chief minister maintained that the provincial government is well aware of the problems being faced by the flood affectees and the provincial government’s helicopter has also been dedicated for relief and rehabilitation operations since day one.

Currently the helicopter is busy in relief and rehabilitation operations in Lower Kohistan. Besides other relief activities, 6,000 kg of food packets have been provided in Ranoliya, Dobair, Kehal and Chawadara areas of Lower Kohistan. Food packages being provided to flood affectees include wheat flour, ghee, tea, sugar, pulses and other food essentials.

Senator Dr Sania Nishter, Provincial Ministers Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Kamran Bangash, Chief Secretary Dr Shehzad Bangash, Additional Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah and other members attended the meeting.

Death toll

In K-P around 290 people have died and 351 injured as a result of rain-related incidents and floods since June 15.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), 35,357 houses were destroyed while 52,789 houses were damaged. The total affected houses are 88,146 across the province.

PDMA, district administrations and other relevant departments evacuated 406,568 people to safe places before the floods while 69,775 people were rescued in different districts.

A total of 675,348 people have been displaced. Cooked meals were provided to 850,680 people and 214,751 people have been provided dry food.

According to PDMA Director-General Sharif Hussain, family tents were provided to shelter 38,588 people, and plastic mats to 25,670 individuals.

Besides, 9,535 blankets, 21,217 mattresses, 8,243 kitchen sets, 7,772 hygiene kits, 9,762 water containers, 6,316 plastic mats, 685 life-saving jackets, and 9,319 mosquito nets,146 searchlights and 6,785 pillows have been distributed.

Sharif Hussain said that helping the flood victims and rehabilitating them is the primary goal.

District administrations, irrigation authorities and line departments are busy with heavy machinery to dewater the inundated areas.

The flood control room of the Provincial Government is fully functional. People may report any untoward incident on the helpline 1700.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2022.