Punjab backs K-P CM's call for Kalabagh dam

Bokhari says flood has affected 2.4m people

LAHORE:

After K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, the Punjab government also threw its weight behind the construction of the controversial Kalabagh dam, with the provincial information minister terming it a "sane suggestion".

K-P and Sindh provinces have long rejected the Kalabagh dam project. However, a day earlier, Gandapur described the Kalabagh dam as a project vital for the state, urging the government to address the reservations the people have regarding the project.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said that this was the first time she had agreed with Gandapur. She added that the time had come for all to rise above their local interests and work towards a national policy to combat disasters from climate change.

Bokhari said that the flood situation in Punjab was under control and that emergency measures were being taken for the swift rehabilitation of the affected population. She revealed that a total of 3,243 villages and more than 2.4 million people had been affected by the floods.

Nearly 1 million people and over 700,000 livestock had already been relocated to safer areas, she said. The government has set up 395 relief camps, providing shelter and food to affected families, along with 392 medical camps and 336 veterinary camps to ensure the protection of both human and animal lives.

At present, the minister stated, the greatest pressure is on the Trimmu dam, though the water level in the Ravi River is receding rapidly. "The Punjab government is standing shoulder to shoulder with the flood victims and will not leave anyone behind," she affirmed.

Separately, Bokhari rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan's recent statement about the flood situation. "It is unfortunate," she said, "that even in such testing times, some individuals cannot resist exploiting the situation for petty politics."