Germany expressed its willingness on Tuesday to provide technical assistance to the Punjab government regarding water storage.
Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi informed German Ambassador Alfred Grannas, who had called on him, about the recent flood disaster and the rehabilitation activities.
He said Pakistan had been severely impacted by the effects of climate change.
The chief minister said the destruction caused by floods in different parts of Pakistan, including southern Punjab districts, was indescribable.
This is a daunting challenge that all nations should immediately address by adopting a common plan of action, he emphasised.
He noted that a special package had been formulated to rehabilitate the affected people and asserted that the international community needed to fully support Pakistan in this hour of trial.
"I had started the programme of channelising the water of hill torrents of Koh-e-Sulaiman in 2002 in my previous tenure. Unfortunately, the succeeding government stopped this beneficial programme. Now, we are again channelising the water and building small dams," said Pervaiz Elahi.
"Dams are necessary for Pakistan to prevent precious water from getting lost in the sea," he added and asserted that a proper network of dams would have saved Pakistan from such devastations besides storing rainwater for future needs.
"We would be saved from such havoc if more dams are constructed," he maintained.
"Germany is our best partner and Pakistan will like to benefit from its expertise in vocational and technical education, health and water storage. Punjab will take the lead in promoting cooperation with Germany in various fields and technical support for water storage from Germany will be welcomed," the CM said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 21st, 2022.
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